Oatmeal is one of America’s go-to breakfast foods and has been since the early 19th century. Perhaps you’ve wondered why it’s called Quaker Oats. Why not Catholic Oats or Presbyterian Oats? It turns out that the brand name “Quaker” was chosen by the company’s founders because it was a word they associated with honesty and purity. Despite using the Quaker name and logo, the Quaker Oats Company has never had any official ties with the Religious Society of Friends (a.k.a. Quakers). While this has proven to be mildly frustrating for some in the religious group, the peace-loving Quakers are not a particularly litigious bunch, so they have gone about their lives without lodging any official legal complaints against the company.
