Coon cheese launched its new name, Cheer, this month, with the updated packages now appearing in supermarkets.
The popular dairy product was rebranded in the wake of a racism backlash – but on Sunday, Real Housewives of Sydney star Victoria Rees revealed she is less than impressed by the update.
The 57-year-old shared a photo of the redesigned packages of Cheer cheese in her local grocery store to her Instagram Stories and added a disapproving caption.
Not a fan? Coon cheese launched its new name, Cheer, this month. The popular dairy product was rebranded in the wake of a racism backlash – but on Sunday, Real Housewives of Sydney star Victoria Rees (pictured) revealed she is less than impressed by the update
‘The world has gone fcn [sic] mad,’ she wrote, adding the hashtag ‘#politicallycorrect’.
The popular 86-year-old brand will be known as Cheer cheese from July, Canadian owner Saputo Dairy Australia confirmed in January, sparking a divided reaction.
The decision to ditch its traditional but controversial name last year followed the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement worldwide.
Cheesy: The 57-year-old shared a photo of the redesigned packages of Cheer cheese in her local grocery store to her Instagram Stories and added a disapproving caption
![Commentary: 'The world has gone fcn [sic] mad,' she wrote, adding the hashtag '#politicallycorrect'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/07/18/13/45584993-9799821-image-a-3_1626611031774.jpg "'The world has gone mad': Real Housewives of Sydney star Victoria Rees slams the renaming of Coon cheese to Cheer after the brand was deemed racist to Aboriginals 3")
Commentary: ‘The world has gone fcn [sic] mad,’ she wrote, adding the hashtag ‘#politicallycorrect’
The owner announced its decision last year to ‘retire’ the name of Australia’s best loved cheese because of its historical use as a racist slur.
Aboriginal activists, including academic and former diplomat Dr Stephen Hagan, have spent the past two decades lobbying to have the brand name changed as the word ‘coon’ is a slur against people of colour.
‘The name Cheer has the significance of pleasure and joy,’ Saputo’s chief executive Lino Saputo in a statement.
Changes: The decision to rebrand Coon Cheese (pictured) followed a long-running campaign by activists who claimed the name had racist connotations
‘It’s nice when you take a picture you say cheese and when you give a toast you say cheers.’
Mr Saputo said it was a lengthy process to come up with a new name that reflected the brand.
‘We took some time to think about this, we wanted to do the proper due diligence and consulted with different focus groups and we narrowed it down to three to five names and resoundingly consumers thought this was the right reflection of what we’re bringing for families,’ he said.
New: Cheer cheese (pictured) has begun appearing on supermarket shelves
