European supermarket giant Lidl have removed religious crosses from the top of Greek churches in Santorini, which are displayed on some of their food packaging.
Lidl uses Greek scenery for certain Greek-inspired products, however they have intentionally removed the crucifixes, symbolising Christian faith.
The incident became public by the network known as RTL, when a customer complained about the photoshop.
“I am shocked to see the Lidl shops that sell Greek products erase part of the Greek landscape and culture,” a customer wrote to RTL.
The packaging is used for its Greek product series ERIDANOUS “Original Greek Product.” Moussaka, yogurt, pistachios, and feta are some of the products sold under this branding.
The supermarket chain, however stands by their decision.
“We avoid the use of religious symbols because we do not want to exclude any faith,” a spokeswoman said for the company. “We are a company that respects diversity which explains the composition of this packaging.”
After a series of complaints, Lidl finally apologised.
“Our intention has never been to shock, we avoid the use of religious symbols on our packaging to maintain neutrality in all religions, and if it has been perceived differently, we apologise to those who may have been shocked,” a spokesman for the group said.
However, they have not stated whether they will now change the packaging.
