Nestle withdraws KitKat chocolate wrappers featuring Hindu deities after outrage

Nestle on Friday said that it has withdrawn a special range of its KitKat chocolate bar wrappers featuring Hindu Gods following accusations of hurting religious sentiments.

Nestle had recently released a limited range of chocolate wrappers globally which had photos of artwork by local artisans, reported The Guardian.

The Indian version of the wrapper had images of Hindu deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra to celebrate the crafts of the Indian state of Odisha.

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However, the idea of putting Hindu deities on wrappers didn’t sit well with Indians, as many while applauding the company for promoting the local culture also criticised that the cover might end up in “dustbins, drains, gutters”, which would be disrespectful of the gods and the Hindu faith.

Nestle said the intention had been to “celebrate the culture of Odisha with designs on packs representing ‘Pattachitra’, an art form uniquely identifiable by its vivid imagery”.

Nestle said that as “pre-emptive action”, it had now recalled the KitKat range from the market.

“We wanted to encourage people to know about the art and its artisans. We do understand the sensitivity of the matter and regret if we have inadvertently hurt people’s sentiments,” the company said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)