PepsiCo challenged by black farmers group to expand business ties

In the aftermath of last week”™s announcement that PepsiCo was removing the image of Aunt Jemima from the labels of its pancake and syrup product line, the Purchase-based company was challenged by the head of a trade group representing African-American farmers to do more business with agricultural interests run by people of color.

In an open letter to PepsiCo, John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, sought to engage the company in a new outreach with a wider spectrum of agricultural interests.

“Having recognized that the Aunt Jemima brand must change, PepsiCo should now take the equally obvious but more substantive step of tapping black farmers as significant sources of its products,” Boyd wrote. “Frankly, changing a label pales in comparison to transforming lives and generations by addressing the well documented systemic wealth and opportunity disparities in agriculture.”

Boyd added that his organization “has long offered to help bridge this gap, and that offer still stands.” He called on PepsiCo and other companies to make more progress in building “an inclusive and equitable society.”

“As farmers we not only feed America, we believe in America,” Boyd stated. “And we look forward to our country coming together across racial lines to both reckon with the past and sow the seeds of a better future.”

PepsiCo did not publicly comment on Boyd’s letter.