Marks & Spencer has changed the name of its Midget Gems sweets to avoid offending people with dwarfism, according to media reports.
The retailer is reported to have taken the step in response to a campaign by a Liverpool academic, Dr Erin Pritchard. The BBC reported that other retailers are monitoring the development, with Tesco saying it will review the name of its product.
Dr Pritchard has achondroplasia, a condition which stunts growth, and is a lecturer in disability studies at Liverpool Hope University.
She argued the word midget was a form of hate speech and she wrote in Big Issue North: “Often referred to by people with dwarfism as the m-word, it is a term derived from the word midge, meaning gnat or sandfly.
“Its origin automatically dehumanises people like me. It was a term popularised during the Victorian freak show, where many disabled people, including people with dwarfism, were oppressed and exploited.”
Dr Pritchard approached supermarkets and confectionery makers about changing the name of the sweet and the BBC reports that M&S was the first retailer to react.
An M&S spokeswoman said: “Following suggestions from our colleagues and the insights shared by Dr Erin Pritchard, we introduced new Mini Gem packaging, which has since been rolled out to all of our stores.”
A spokesman for Tesco told the media: “We are a diverse and inclusive retailer and we would not want any of our products to cause offence. “We are grateful to Dr Pritchard for bringing this to our attention.”
