A Canadian ice cream chain called 'Sweet Jesus' is facing a growing backlash from Christians as it expands across the border into the US, with accusations of blasphemy and disrespect.

The controversial name comes from a reaction given by an employee when tasting the ice cream, co-founder Andrew Richmond told the Toronto Star in 2016, the year after he started the company with Amin Todai in Toronto.

And the website carries a disclaimer, saying: 'Our name was created from the popular phrase that people use as an expression of enjoyment, surprise or disbelief. Our aim is not to offer commentary on anyone's religion or belief systems, our own organization is made up of amazing people that represent a wide range of cultural and religious beliefs.'

Nonetheless, protest petitions emerged in January after the company opened its first US location inside the Baltimore-Washington International Airport ahead of planned openings at other US locations, including at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

The conservative blog Activist Mommy published an article on the 'blasphemous' use of religious imagery in the brand's logo, according to the Toronto Star.

It said: 'The name, "Sweet Jesus", refers to a blasphemous expression one might use when thoroughly enjoying one of the company's ice cream cones and most certainly not their love of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

'This is immediately apparent by their logo, which features an SS style "S," popular among equally blasphemous and Satanic metal bands of the 70s and 80s, and an upside down cross.

'So they want to make quite sure we know they are in fact, not Christian, and that the entire marketing concept of their company is to mock the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Meanwhile, a petition on the website of CitizenGo, a conservative advocacy group, is calling for an apology, a change of name and the removal of offensive advertising.

Yesterday afternoon the petition had collected nearly 9,000 signatures out of a 10,000-signature goal.

'Blasphemy is the order of the day at a Toronto-based chain of ice cream parlours,' the petition says.

'Choosing the name of our Lord for a brand of soft-serve ice cream is totally offensive and revolting. Even if this were some innocent faux-pas, it would still be unacceptable! However, this is anything but a mere mistake.

'Both in their promotional materials and menu selection, it is plain to see that Richmond and Todai have every intention of mocking Christ and Christianity. If anything could qualify as "hate speech," this is it!'

The petition specifically objects to three ice cream flavours named 'Red Rapture', 'Hella Nutella' and 'Sweet Baby Jesus'.

It goes on: 'The message is clear: "Sweet Jesus" is all about trashing Christianity and mocking the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Richmond said that the company knew from the start that the company would face criticism, but had decided to hold firm with the controversial branding.

'After a lot of thought, we have decided that we will not make a change,' he said. 'The best brands come from an honest place. Sweet Jesus is an honest reflection of our experiences and that of our customers and how they react when they try our product. In our experience, the majority of people understand that we're not trying to make a statement about religion.'