Nestlé withdraws Hindu KitKat range in India after blasphemy backlash

24 Jan 2022 --- Nestlé has been forced to withdraw a special edition KitKat range in India featuring Hindu deities on the wrappers over accusations of religious insensitivity. 

The chocolate bar wrappers were decorated with reprints of local artisan artwork as part of the “KitKat travel breaks” range. However, consumers took to social media to express outrage that depictions of the Hindu deities Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Mata Subhadra would quickly be discarded in bins or as litter.

The Swiss F&B multinational said it intended to “celebrate the culture of Odisha with designs on packs representing ‘Pattachitra’ – an art form uniquely identifiable by its vivid imagery.”

“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.” Nestlé has now taken “pre-emptive action” by withdrawing the range.

Local knowledge essential
PackagingInsights speaks to research analysts at Innova Market Insights to understand how this issue could have been avoided.

According to Abinaya Gunasekaran, it is clear there were no bad intentions regarding Nestlé’s wrapper design. “However, I would say a lesson has been learned from this issue that it’s always better for the industry to consult with experts from local teams before they launch these special edition products,” she says.

Padmaja PB agrees, arguing that “brands must have someone local as part of their design team to avoid hurting local sensibilities.” However, she admits the researchers are not sure if this KitKat packaging was designed by someone in India or not.India has the world’s biggest Hindu population.

Meanwhile, Deepika Jadhav goes a step further by suggesting that Nestlé should have avoided religious depictions altogether. “No religion would like to portray their deities on wrappers or other daily items. This packaging is merely playing with peoples’ sentiments and beliefs,” she stresses.

“It is often seen that when such things have happened, the religion involved will take legal actions and seek justice for it. Companies should be diligent and careful while making such decisions.”

Last year, Nestlé was forced to apologize for packaging incorrectly depicting Lamjao National Park in India as being in the state of Meghalaya – rather than Manipur. The packaging featured a red panda, a species not found in the park.

Understanding longer-term value
According to Pew Research, India has a population of approximately 1.4 billion people, of which 77% are Hindus. Moreover, for most Indians, faith is a core aspect of their lives. A 2015 survey by the researcher found eight in ten Indians say religion is “very important” to them.

“As all gods are considered pure, Indians don’t want to see these wrappers disposed of in an untidy place,” reiterates Sam Shaji, another research analyst at Innova Market Insights. 

“Although I don’t know how people are still okay when it comes to incense stick wrappers with deities being discarded,” he adds.Hindus are generally willing to accept deity depictions on longer-term items like calendars, but not quickly-discarded food wrappers.

Dhivya Sundara Manohar explains that Hindu Indians are typically willing to accept deity depictions on longer-use products but not quickly-discarded items.

“Nestlé would have thought the reach would be better by introducing cartoon characters on the package,” she says. “However, while we are willing to use any product that we can have for the long-term with God pictures like accessories we use every day or daily calendars, we are not for throwaway packaging.”

Hindu nationalism is reportedly on the rise in India. In 2019, McDonald’s faced boycott threats in the country for serving halal meat.

In the news
In other developments, Nestlé co-developed a prototype KitKat wrapper made with recycled soft plastics last year – the first of its kind on the Australian market.

Nestlé wants to make KitKat carbon-neutral by 2025. Last summer, the confectionery giant launched a Vegan KitKat in selected markets, including the UK, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Meanwhile, India became the first Asian country to launch a plastics pact in September. The Plastics Pact for Asia brings together WWF India and the Confederation of Indian Industry with a shared goal to make all plastic packaging reusable or recyclable by 2030.

By Joshua Poole