After a petition was launched to have the American food chain Trader Joe's change a number of its product labels on accounts of leading "a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes," store management said it was in the process of acquiescing to the demands.
According to the petition, "The Trader Joe’s branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures — it presents 'Joe' as the default 'normal' and the other characters falling outside of it — they are 'Arabian Joe,' 'Trader José,' and 'Trader Joe San,'...The common thread between all of these transgressions is the perpetuation of exoticism, the goal of which is not to appreciate other cultures, but to further other and distance them from the perceived 'normal.'"
A number of traditional American labels including Aunt Jemima Pancakes and the NFL's Washington Redskins have already altered their original names.