• Last month, Nestlé announced plans to change the names of its Chicos and Red Skins lollies.
• The decision followed global Black Lives Matter movement brought issues of racial injustice to light.
• Nestlé General Manager of Confectionary in ANZ, Chis O’Donnell told Business Insider Australia what led the company to change the names.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

In June, Nestlé revealed its decision to replace the names of its Red Skins and Chicos lollies, after the Black Lives Matter movement brought the issue of racial discrimination and injustice to the forefront around the globe.

“Redskin” is widely understood to be a derogatory word for Native Americans and First Nations Canadians. “Chico”, on the other hand, can be offensive to those of Latin American descent. Concerns about the names of the lollies being offensive have been raised for several years.

The lollies are made under the Allen’s brand, with Australia being the only place they are sold.

“These names have overtones which are out of step with Nestlé’s values, which are rooted in respect,” Nestlé said in a statement at the time.

Nestlé General Manager of Confectionary in ANZ, Chis O’Donnell, discussed the lolly name-change with Business Insider Australia.

“It was a reflection of us wanting to ensure that we weren’t marginalising any of our consumers,” he said.

O’Donnell said the Allen’s mission is “creating smiles”. Determining consumer groups “weren’t smiling” about this situation, it signalled to the company that a change needed to be made.

“In the first instance, we just made the decision that we are going to change the name,” O’Donnell said. “We’re now going through the process of what we’re going to change it to and we’ll work quickly to get it into the market.”

“What you see with that example is an evolution of brands wanting to continue to be relevant into the future,” he added.

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