Nestle India faces backlash for using Lord Jagannath's picture on KitKat wrapper, issues apology

Nestle India has apologised after it faced backlash for putting images of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Mata Subhadra on the wrapper of its product KitKat. Many social media users slammed the company and stated that the controversial wrapper had hurt their sentiments.

The issue began when some users recently posted photos of the new KitKat wrapper on social media. Many people asserted that such wrappers with images featuring Lord Jagannath and his siblings will later be found in dustbins and on roads as people will discard the wrappers after eating the chocolate.

Many individuals were concerned over the design of the wrapper and even urged its withdrawal.

Several people even wrote that while it was an honour to see Odisha represented by the multinational company, this kind of representation was a matter of concern and was an insult to the culture of the state.

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Many social media users slammed Nestle for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.

Some people even threatened a boycott campaign of the company’s products if the wrappers were not removed from circulation.

Following the widespread outrage, Nestle India took to social media to issue an apology. The company asserted that it was not its intention to hurt the sentiments of any community. The company also stated that it had launched the Kitkat travel packs to “celebrate beautiful local destinations & last year we wanted to celebrate the culture of Odisha with designs on packs representing 'Pattachitra’, an art form uniquely identifiable by its vivid imagery”.

The company further added that it regretted if it had inadvertently hurt anyone’s sentiments and also wrote that it had withdrawn the packets from the market.

This is not the first time a multinational company has had to withdraw a product due to hurting religious sentiments. According to The Quint, a FIR was registered in Noida against e-commerce giant Amazon in 2019 for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments after toilet seat covers and rugs with pictures of Hindu gods were available on the company’s US website.

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