Big objection to small pickle's name leads to change [View all]
Chelley Martinka, a Rhode Island mom, found a pickle of a problem recently while shopping for, well, pickles.
She noticed that Cains, a popular pickle brand in New England made by Minnesota’s own M.A. Gedney Co., had an offering called “midgets.” It’s a term that’s offensive to people born with dwarfism, as well as their families. And Martinka’s daughter, now 10 months old, had been diagnosed with the condition soon after birth.
So, she blogged about the issue, made a YouTube video and contacted Gedney, the 132-year-old pickle maker with a national presence and a brand particularly well-known in the Twin Cities. Gedney’s CEO, Barry Spector, called her earlier this month and said the company would indeed junk the midget moniker.
“My jaw didn’t drop to the floor — I hope that companies listen to their consumers — but I was surprised,” Martinka told the Star Tribune.
New labels are being designed now, Spector told her, though there’s six months; worth of product with the “midget” label in inventory. On Friday, Martinka got an e-mail from Gedney, confirming it has “indeed been proceeding with Mr. Spector’s promise,” and signing off with the salutation “Have a Dilly of a Day!”
http://www.startribune.com/business/192178941.html?refer=y
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