A small detail on the art work of the back of a Kellogg’s Corn Pops cereal box has received a lot of attention and stirred controversy about racial insensitivity.
The box shows little cartoon Corn Pops hanging out and having fun in a shopping mall, but author Saladin Ahmed noticed that the only brown Corn Pop in the drawing was depicted as a janitor scrubbing the floor.
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Ahmed took to Twitter to complain about the artwork. He tweeted on Tuesday morning, “Hey @KelloggsUS why is literally the only brown corn pop on the whole cereal box the janitor? this is teaching kids racism.”
hey @KelloggsUS why is literally the only brown corn pop on the whole cereal box the janitor? this is teaching kids racism. pic.twitter.com/Nh7M7IFawW
— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) October 24, 2017
The tweet went viral and drew outrage from social media users across the country.
Kellogg’s officials responded on Twitter within hours by posting that the artwork would be updated and redone. The company did not announce what changes would be made.
Company officials also apologized, saying Kellogg's was committed to diversity and genuinely did not want to offend anyone.
Kellogg is committed to diversity & inclusion. We did not intend to offend – we apologize. The artwork is updated & will be in stores soon.
— Kellogg's (@KelloggsUS) October 24, 2017
Ahmed was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune and said he appreciated Kellogg’s quick response.
He added it’s “a tiny thing, but when you see your kid staring at this over breakfast and realize millions of other kids are doing the same."
Kellogg’s tweeted that new boxes would hit stores soon.
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