Anchor has committed a major faux pas by using the Chinese language on its products, omitting one of the official languages of the country - Tamil.

A user on Facebook posted a picture of Anchor’s iconic butter containing information in the Sinhalese, English and Chinese languages, but failing to use Tamil.

Acceptance of the Tamil identity, which is inextricably linked to language, has been a point of contention between the majority Sinhalese and Tamils for decades.

In years since the end of the civil war, parties on either side have actively worked towards bridging the gap, with many companies adopting a tri-lingual policy to better serve its people.

While it is clear Anchor is attempting to reach an expanding new Chinese market, its failure to include the Tamil language on its products is a serious oversight.