It was not immediately clear why Land O’Lakes, which is based in Arden Hills, Minn., decided this year to remove an image that has adorned its products for nearly 100 years, nor did the company make any reference in a February statement announcing the change to the implications of such depictions of Native Americans. A company spokeswoman did not reply to emailed questions on Friday.

Beth Ford, the Land O’Lakes chief executive, said in the statement that as the company looked ahead to its centennial, it recognized the need for “packaging that reflects the foundation and heart of our company culture.”

“Nothing does that better than our farmer-owners whose milk is used to produce Land O’Lakes’ dairy products,” she said.

The American Psychological Association has recommended the immediate retirement of Native American mascots and symbols, in part because they appear “to have a negative impact on the self-esteem of American Indian children.”

Some said it was demeaning cultural appropriation to use the image of the woman, who has been depicted as kneeling in the original design and has been used as the butt of vulgar social media jokes.

The imagery of the Land O’Lakes woman has been reflected in Native American art. David Bradley, a sculptor and a Minnesota Chippewa, named a piece “Land O’Fakes” in a 2005 show that confronted fraud in the market and “the commodification of Indian culture — the packaging of it in an attractive way to make money,” as the artist put it.

The original logo of the company’s “butter maiden” first appeared on Land O’Lakes packaging in 1928, created by Arthur C. Hanson, an artist who worked for a local advertising firm.