Vegans slam Sainsbury's 'disgusting' Christmas card with pigs in blankets joke

09 November 2023 , 11:34

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The card has caused offence (Image: Kennedy News)

Animal lovers have slammed Sainsbury's over their recent Christmas cards, with some shoppers branding it 'cruel' and 'offensive.'

The decorative card was spotted by one customer at the Charlton store in London, who was immediately taken aback by the words plastered above the pigs' heads. The retail giant features a picture of the snow-covered animals and above them, the message reads: 'Don't worry, I hear we're getting some blankets!'.

Angry vegans and animal fans immediately took to X, formally known as Twitter, to share their disgust over the design. A number of people complained the cards are 'offensive' to vegan, vegetarian, and animal-loving consumers, with one person going as far as to vow to never shop at the supermarket again.

Some social media users branded the cards 'bleak' and 'sad' (Kennedy News)

Others blasted the cards for being 'grim', 'sick', 'disgusting', 'terrible' and 'horrible' Despite the heavy backlash, the retail giant responded to complaints by saying they 'welcomed customer feedback on this year's designs'.

The original complainant posted their complaint to X on November 4th. The angry tweet reads: "Hello Sainsbury's, I know everyone's sense of humour is different but I think this is the saddest, unkindest Xmas card I've ever seen. I wonder if you'll sell lots of them. I saw the card in Sainsbury's and thought it was unkind, sad and not really very funny. I'm not trying to get it banned. Just wanted to point out that it's not a funny or seasonal card."

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Since sharing the post on X, many other shoppers have also blasted the festive greetings card as untasteful. One user wrote: "That's awful. Shame on you, Sainsbury's. That is very offensive to vegetarians, vegans and basically animal lovers." Another commented: "Sainsbury's, this is offensive." A third wrote: "I eat pork, but yeah. That's incredibly bleak and sad."

A fourth added: "I won't even be shopping in Sainsbury's now. They are not a very trustworthy brand if someone thought this was a good idea." A fifth said: "All the big players being called out for their tasteless ads this year."

The supermarket acknowledged the tweet and replied to the shopper apologising about the tone of the card and said they have passed the complaint onto the relevant department for an internal review. A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We offer a wide range of festive cards and welcome customer feedback on this year's designs."

Ayaan Ali