Waitrose changes name of kaffir lime leaves due to racial slur concerns
Waitrose is changing the name of its Cooks’ Ingredients Kaffir Lime Leaves due to the product name being historically used as a racial slur in South Africa.
The supermarket said the move to rename the product as Makrut Lime Leaves has been made in response to customer comments received.
The new packaging will be rolled out to all shops and online by early 2022.
Helena Dennis, Waitrose grocery trading manager, said: “This name change is a crucial step in recognising how important it is for us to listen to customers and educate ourselves when it comes to the language we use. While some of our customers may be unaware of the connotations of this particular word, it’s important to us that we avoid offending anyone who shops with us. It is changes like this that ensure we are moving forward. We need industry-wide support on this, and encourage other retailers to do the same in order to make a difference on a widespread, national scale.”
As the previous name is still widely referred to in cookbooks, Waitrose said it will explain the name change via on-shelf labelling, its recipe cards and in its cookery schools.
