Fonterra Responds To Criticism: Says Languages On Anchor Butter Pack Not A Reflection Of Its Respect For Diversity

September 08, 2018

Anchor's parent company Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka, in a statement, said the languages on the Anchor butter pack were not a reflection of its respect for diversity and the value the company placed on its customers. 

The company made this statement in response to a recent social media controversy on opting to leave the Tamil language out of the Anchor butter packaging. The packaging, however, had the Chinese language giving rise to speculations that the company was trying to tap into the market-base of Chinese expat workers in Sri Lanka.

Even the Minister of National Languages in Sri Lanka, Mano Ganesan, expressed concerns over the development.

"Whilst our Anchor Butter Product Packaging is fully compliant with the packaging regulations of Sri Lanka, we understand and empathise with the recent concerns regarding the languages used on the pack," the statement said

"To clarify, Anchor Butter is made, packaged and exported from New Zealand to multiple countries in East and South East Asia. The same pack is made available to Sri Lanka," the statement added.

Hence, the company said, the product packaging included the commonly spoken language in these respective countries.