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Walmart Juneteenth Ice Cream: Retailer Pulls Flavor From Shelves Amid Major Backlash The Celebration Edition: Juneteenth Ice Cream was released under Walmart's Great Value brand and is a mix of red velvet and cheesecake flavored ice creams.

By Emily Rella Edited by Jessica Thomas

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Michael D Morrow | Shutterstock

Walmart is under fire for its latest product launch celebrating Juneteenth.

The product in question, which is being called tone-deaf and angering the masses on social media, is a limited-edition Juneteenth ice cream that is being rolled out in honor of the new holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in America on June 19, 1865, and almost all states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday in some capacity, the date being officially made a federal holiday last year.

But now U.S. retailer Walmart is being called out for trying to capitalize on the holiday by pushing out a product that doesn't appear to benefit or profit the African American community in any way.

The Celebration Edition: Juneteenth Ice Cream was released under Walmart's Great Value brand and is a mix of red velvet and cheesecake flavored ice creams.

Related: Walmart Might Soon Be Rolling Out Its Own Cryptocurrency

"Share and celebrate African American culture, emancipation and enduring hope," the original container of the frozen treat said.

Many took to Twitter to call Walmart out for missing the mark, with many users noting that none of the proceeds of the ice cream were going toward helping any Black-owned businesses and that the flavor appeared to be lifted from Black-owned ice cream company Creamalicious.

"Wow thanks Walmart for your contributions the culture," one user wrote sarcastically.

Related: 20 Brands That Are Actually Making Progress on their Commitments to Serving the Black Community

Others dubbed the product a "bargain version" and a "cheap copycat" of Black-owned Creamalicious' Red Velvet Cheesecake flavor.

Amid the backlash, Walmart pulled the Juneteenth ice cream from shelves and online.

"We received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate," Walmart told CNN in a statement.

Walmart did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Walmart was down around 12.5% year over year.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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