In a pickle: US pickle company pulls out of DC fair over Confederate flag

The Mt Olive Pickle Company, a prominent US pickle vendor, has withdrawn from the Great American State Fair in Washington DC after a video at North Carolina's exhibit featured a Confederate flag. The company, based in eastern North Carolina and claiming to be the "#1 bestselling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the US," informed local news station WNCT of its decision.

Mt Olive Pickle Company stated it was unaware that an image of the Confederate flag would be part of the video shown at the North Carolina exhibit. The company was invited to participate as part of America's 250th celebration and expressed pride in its North Carolina roots. "Our company stands on values of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom," the company said in its statement.

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Mt Olive Pickle Company was invited to participate in the North Carolina exhibit for the Great American State Fair … as part of America’s 250th celebration. We are proud of our North Carolina roots, and we agreed to be a part of an exhibit, as presented to us, that would represent the best of our great state. Our company stands on values of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom.

The vehicle manufacturer Spevco, also part of North Carolina's booth, explained that the video was a 45-minute historical piece. A spokesperson said the Confederate flag appeared for only a few seconds within news footage of the state's history. Spevco clarified that it "did not create, produce, edit, approve or select this historical video to be shown." The video has since been removed from the booth.

This incident is one of several issues to affect the fair, which is affiliated with the Trump administration and Republican allies. The event has reportedly suffered from low attendance and high temperatures, leading to at least seven hospitalizations. Several Democratic-governed states declined to participate, citing budget or scheduling constraints. North Carolina itself had initially cited budgetary reasons for not attending, but companies stepped in to provide financing for its representation.

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did not create, produce, edit, approve or select this historical video to be shown