The owner of Coon cheese has decided on a new name for the product after a review sparked by some customers who objected to the branding.
The Australian cheese brand will now be known as Cheer.
The decision by owner Saputo Dairy follows a review that considered “current attitudes and perspectives” after community objections to the original name, which is also a racial slur.
“Our decision to change the name of Australia’s much-loved cheese reinforces this commitment to build a culture of acceptance, inclusion and respect where everyone feels a sense of belonging,” the global head of Saputo Lino A Supato said in a statement.
The new name, Cheer, was chosen because it signals happiness.
“Cheer Cheese enriches everyday moments, with our signature taste that brightens your morning, noon or night,” Saputo Dairy Australia commercial director Cam Bruce said in a statement Wednesday.
Cheer cheese will be on the supermarket shelves nationwide from July 2021.
Coon cheese has been sold in Australia since the 1930s and was originally named after the American who developed the maturation process, Edward William Coon.
