An iconic Australian ice cream brand is changing its name, saying it’s “committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality”.

Peters Ice Cream has told news.com.au it will change its name from Eskimo Pie to Polar Pie.

“Peters Ice Cream is committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality and we acknowledge that now is the time for change,” a spokesperson for Peters said in a statement.

“Eskimo Pie is a brand which has been within our portfolio for many decades and has a loyal consumer base who adore the product. We have chosen to rename the product ‘Polar Pie’ as this retains a strong association back to the original brand and product idea – a frozen treat you eat much like a pie – with your hands and hence the name Polar Pie!”

According to Peters website, Eskimo Pies are the oldest ice cream in the company’s range, and were introduced to Australia in 1923 by the Peters family.

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“Introduced in Australia in 1923, it’s the oldest single ice cream in the Peters family still available today,” the company website reads. “Try one for yourself and see why Australians have enjoyed this ice cream for nearly 100 years!”

Lawrence Kaplan from the University of Alaska’s Alaska Native Language Centre wrote the term “Eskimo” is receding from common use, and was a “colonial” term.

“Although the name ‘Eskimo’ was commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people of the world, this usage is now considered unacceptable by many or even most Alaska Natives, largely since it is a colonial name imposed by non-Indigenous people,” Mr Kaplan said.

“Alaska Natives increasingly prefer to be known by the names they use in their own languages, such as Inupiaq or Yupik. ‘Inuit’ is now the current term in Alaska and across the Arctic, and ‘Eskimo’ is fading from use.”

From 2021, the US version of the Eskimo Pie will also change its name to Edy’s Pie — a reference to one of the company’s founders, Joseph Edy. The Edy name is familiar to consumers in the country, as the company, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, already uses Mr Edy’s name to market food on the US East Coast.

The US company said they’d “paused production” of the ice creams until the new ice creams were rolled out in 2021, according to CNN.

“Our mission at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream is to bring joy to everyday life with ice cream and we look forward to our Edy’s Pie ice cream bars continuing to do just that,” Elizabell Marquez, the head of marketing for Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, said in a statement.

The US company first announced their plans to change the name in June, amid heated protests across the country following the death of George Floyd.

The company at the time said they were “committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality.”

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