After Knorr, Kaufland is now also removing its “Gypsy Sauce” from its range in the wake of the racism debates. A new name has already been decided!
- In the course of the racism debate, the gypsy sauce of the Kaufland own brand was also given a new name.
- This was preceded by the Heilbronn company Knorr and took the " gypsy sauce " from its range.
- But the popular Knorr sauce is not disappearing completely either - it is coming back under a new name.
Neckarsulm: Kaufland also wants to rename “Gypsy Sauce”
Update from August 19: Neckarsulm - Due to the ongoing debate on racism , the Heilbronn-based company Knorr decided to rename its popular “Gypsy sauce” to “Hungarian style paprika sauce” .Now other companies are following suit and are also revising the names of some products. Including the Kaufland supermarket chain of the Neckarsulm Schwarz Group based in the Heilbronn district.
At Kaufland , too , the word “gypsy” is to be dispensed with in the future. The sauce of the Kaufland own brand will in future also be called “Hungarian style paprika sauce” and will replace the current product name. Meanwhile, the Central Council of Sinti and Roma welcomes the renaming of the sauce products . At the same time, the chairman of the Central Council, Romani Rose , made it clear that the renaming of gypsy sauces was not of the utmost urgency.
Neckarsulm: Central Council of Sinti and Roma welcomes the renaming of sauces, but ...
Rather, Rose is worried about attacks in the right-wing extremist milieu. Nevertheless, he registers the renaming of the gypsy sauce as a success for all Sinti and Roma. Rose and the Association of Sinti and Roma from Hanover had already called for the gypsy sauce to be renamed in 2013 . At that time, however, the advance failed because of the persistence of the manufacturers, who referred to a long tradition of their gypsy sauces - until now.
Racism debate: No more "gypsy sauce" - Knorr is renaming popular sauce
First report from August 17th: Heilbronn - " Gypsy sauce " has been a household name in kitchens for over 100 years . Not 100, but this term has been hotly debated for several years. Now the Heilbronn-based company Knorr is reacting and taking the " Gypsy sauce "from the range. This is reported by echo24.de * . In the future, customers will find the sauce , which is popular with grill fans among others, under a different name in the supermarket.
The reason for the name change is the racism debate that has been going on in social media since the death of George Floyd . In the past few weeks it has also been about racist names and terms - with consequences. For example, the US company Mars has announced that it will continue to develop the smiling black on Uncle Ben's rice packets in order to combat racial prejudice.
We have a responsibility to help end racial injustices. We're listening to consumers, especially in the Black community, and our Associates. We don't yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we will evolve Uncle Ben's visual brand identity. pic.twitter.com/n0e1pZ75OF
- Uncle Ben's USA (@UncleBens) June 17, 2020Heilbronn: Knorr is renaming "Gypsy Sauce" - this is how the company justifies the decision
So does Knorr . The food manufacturer explained the decision at the request of “Bild am Sonntag” : “Since the term ' gypsy sauce ' can be interpreted negatively, we decided to give our Knorr sauce a new name.” The gypsy sauce is consequently banned from supermarket shelves and makes room for the “ Hungarian style paprika sauce ”. This sauce with the same content should be available in the markets in a few weeks, the parent company Unilever told "Bild" .
The Knorr company only hit the headlines at the end of 2019 . For a long time it was not clear whether the plant in Heilbronn would have to be closed. There have been many reactions to the current decision regarding the " gypsy sauce ": In addition to a lot of praise, Knorr also has to put up with numerous negative comments on his Facebook posts.
No more "gypsy sauce" from Knorr: Background to the term "gypsy"
“ Gypsies ” does not simply describe a taste, but actually certain ethnic groups that probably spread from India, especially through Southeast Europe. The Central Council of the Sinti and Roma ethnic groups living in Germany writes: “' Gypsies ' is an alien term of the majority society, superimposed by clichés, which is rejected as discriminatory by most members of the minority.” The Sinti and Roma would never have called themselves that .
Knorr's "Gypsy Sauce" will no longer be found on supermarket shelves in the future.
© Hauke-Christian Dittrich / picture alliance / dpa
According to the Sinti and Roma, the “ gypsy sauce ” does not come from their kitchen, but rather comes from Hungary . The spicy sauce consists of tomatoes, peppers, onions, vinegar and spices.
However , the Central Council reacted calmly to Knorr's now published decision to rename the " Gypsy Sauce " and to the associated discussion . "It is good that Knorr is responding to the complaints of many people here," explains Romani Rose, Chairman of the Central Council, to " Bild am Sonntag ". But he is more concerned about the growing antiziganism in Germany and Europe.
Heilbronn company Knorr renames "Gypsy Sauce" - the Central Council sees a different problem
More important than discussing words like “Gypsy schnitzel” or “ Gypsy sauce ” is to evaluate terms like “ Gypsy ” depending on the context, “when, for example, in football stadiums, 'Gypsies' or 'Jews' are chanted with openly insulting intent,” Rose told the “ Image ”.
The topic was discussed as early as 2013. At that time, the “Forum for Sinti and Roma”, according to “Spiegel.de”, called for the term “ Gypsy sauce ” to be removed from the range. Knorr refused and justified the decision with the 100-year-old tradition of the name, which according to SWR.de-statements only denotes a spicy taste. As the German Press Agency announced , the term was used in the reference book for the classic cuisine of Escoffier as early as 1903. * echo24.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network
List of rubric lists: © afp / MacDougall