Kiwi Kids Books

The biscuit industry is in uproar in Australia with news that Australian biscuit company Coles will change the name of an in-house brand of biscuits, amid claims it is racist.

Coles Spokesman Jim Cooper said the name of the brand of chocolate and vanilla biscuits, called Creole Creams, will be changed as part of the company-wide rebranding of Coles products. The name change comes on the back of claims of racism, with the word Creole used to describe a person of mixed European and African ancestry.

Sadly, though this kind of racism is not just limited to Australia. Here is New Zealand some of the staff at Griffins and Arnott’s need to take a good long look in the mirror. The world of biscuits and morning tea in New Zealand is a hot bed of racism and insensitive bullying.

Let’s start with the obvious New Zealand example, Ginger Nuts. This is a classic biscuit which pokes fun at one of New Zealand’s most marginalised groups, those with red hair. Rumour has it that when trying to find a name other variations on the hair theme were used, but you would have to agree that Blonde Nuts and Mousey Brown Nuts doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Picking on the war and the thousands that gave up their lives is a major theme in naming biscuits within New Zealand. There is the classic ANZAC biscuit, which must be in line for a name change in this PC world. To name a biscuit after an event that killed so many people is truly insensitive. Next up we have Afgan biscuits, name after the 9 year long Russian-Afghanistan war. Incidentally, this war killed just under 100,000 military and an estimated 2 million civilians. Think about that the next time you chomp down an Afgan at morning break.

Sadly, there are plenty of other items that need a name change this week. Eskimo lollies will need to go as they are offensive to the Eskimo people. Belgian biscuits will need a name change because people might assume Belgians all have pink tops and sprinkle themselves with jelly crystals every morning. Coconut rough, that tasty chocolate treat will need to go for obvious reasons. Wine biscuits, always a favourite of mine, will need to change because people might believe they are made with real wine. Hundred and thousands biscuits could be done for false advertising as there is no waya  thousand of those little things on a single biscuit. Even the term dark chocolate, used often in toffee pops and mellow puffs, has a sinister undertone which I am sure could offend someone.  Sadly, racism is just as rife in our cafés as well. This morning did you go with the short black or the long white for your daily fix.

So beware. Everywhere you go tomorrow you run the risk of being racist towards a fellow human just be the biscuit you decide to eat at morning tea. Choose you biscuit carefully.