Nestle India on Thursday said it has retracted a range of its KitKat chocolate bars that featured images of Hindu deities after outrage on social media, PTI reported.
The wrappers of the limited range of the chocolate bars, released globally, had photos of artwork by local artisans, according to The Guardian. The Indian version of the wrapper featured images of Hindu deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.
Several consumers took to social media to accuse Nestle of hurting religious feelings. They said that the wrappers of the chocolate bars could end up in garbage or on roads, which would be disrespectful to the deities.
Nestle said that it regretted its error and had already withdrawn the packets from the market last year, PTI reported.
“We do understand the sensitivity of the matter and regret if we have inadvertently hurt anyone’s sentiment,” a spokesperson said.
The company said that through its packets it wanted to celebrate Odisha’s culture by representing the “Pattachitra” art form, which involves cloth-based scroll printing. It is known for its details and depictions of mythological stories.
“We wanted to encourage people to know about the art and its artisans,” the spokesperson said. “Our past campaigns have also shown that consumers like to collect and keep such beautiful designs.”
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