diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/isar-bootstrap/isar-bootstrap.inc b/meta/recipes-core/isar-bootstrap/isar-bootstrap.inc
index 6a612852..08d61a84 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/isar-bootstrap/isar-bootstrap.inc
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/isar-bootstrap/isar-bootstrap.inc
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ PV = "1.0"
 
 DEBOOTSTRAP ?= "qemu-debootstrap"
 ROOTFSDIR = "${WORKDIR}/rootfs"
-DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES = "locales"
+DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES += "locales"
 DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES:append:gnupg = " gnupg"
 DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES:append:https-support = " ca-certificates"
 
diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/isar-mmdebstrap/isar-mmdebstrap.inc b/meta/recipes-core/isar-mmdebstrap/isar-mmdebstrap.inc
index 0f2e6dc9..01ed1e59 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/isar-mmdebstrap/isar-mmdebstrap.inc
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/isar-mmdebstrap/isar-mmdebstrap.inc
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ inherit deb-dl-dir
 
 FILESEXTRAPATHS:append = ":${LAYERDIR_core}/recipes-core/isar-bootstrap/files"
 
-DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES = "locales apt usrmerge"
+DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES += "locales apt usrmerge"
 DISTRO_BOOTSTRAP_BASE_PACKAGES:append:https-support = " ca-certificates"
 
 BOOTSTRAP_TMPDIR = "${WORKDIR}/tempdir"