‘Butter maiden’ no more. Land O’Lakes drops native woman from logo after 100 years

Say goodbye to the “butter maiden.”

Land O’Lakes has removed an image of a young woman in traditional Native American garb dating back to 1928 from its packaging, Modern Farmer reports.

The dairy co-op’s packaging now shows evergreen trees lining a lake where the woman once knelt, holding up a container of butter, according to the publication. The back of the package shows images of farmers.

“Research shows that consumers care about farmers and are excited when they learn Land O’Lakes is farmer-owned,” said Senior Vice President Heather Anfang, Eater reported. “We’re eager to share that message with shoppers and extending that farmer-owned story to our packaging is arguably our most direct vehicle to communicate with consumers.”

The woman, dubbed the “butter maiden” and named Mia, first appeared on Land O’Lakes packaging seven years after 320 farmers founded the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association in St. Paul, Minn., in 1921, reported The Pioneer Press.

The packaging has been redesigned several times over the following decades, most recently changing to a head-and-shoulders view of the maiden, according to the publication.

The latest change has already hit some supermarket shelves as the co-op rolls out the new packaging, The Washington Examiner reported.

The old logo had faced some criticism, including from North Dakota state Rep. Ruth Buffalo, who said it went “hand-in-hand with human and sex trafficking of our women and girls.… by depicting Native women as sex objects,” according to the publication.

Land O’Lakes did not address the criticism in announcing the change, Modern Farmer reported.

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 4:32 PM with the headline "‘Butter maiden’ no more. Land O’Lakes drops native woman from logo after 100 years."