A Cadbury outlet store in Lincolnshire has faced criticism from a Christian campaign group for advertising chocolate Easter eggs as 'gesture' eggs. The shop, located in Springfields Outlet in Spalding, was offering a two for £10 deal on 'gesture' eggs, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Cadbury's owner, Mondelez International, said it had 'no involvement' in the promotion and that the store is run independently by Freshstores Limited under a brand licence. Mondelez stated that all Cadbury Easter shell eggs sold in the UK reference Easter clearly on the packaging, sometimes multiple times, and that Cadbury has used the word Easter in marketing for over 100 years.
Tim Dieppe, head of public policy at Christian Concern, said Easter eggs are a 'clear symbol of the Easter story' and accused the store of trying to 'erase the connection between Easter and eggs'. He suggested that people are 'overly worried about offending', though he said he was not offended but rather surprised by the decision.
Mondelez confirmed that Freshstores had agreed to remove the posters. A BBC reporter visiting the store on Wednesday morning saw a sign advertising two Easter eggs for £10, with no reference to 'gesture' eggs. This is not the first time Cadbury has faced criticism over omitting the word Easter; in 2017, a National Trust Easter egg trail sponsored by Cadbury was renamed the Great British Egg Hunt, prompting criticism from the Church of England.
