Food entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka is a rapidly-evolving sector, integrating a rich culinary heritage and healthy and ethical food choices, as well as innovative and sustainable consumer choices.
In recent years, Sri Lanka has seen an expansion in food-based startups and enterprises, especially with a focus on sustainable consumerism through approaches such as plant-based food entrepreneurship.
With the shift in the population towards making informed consumer choices, there remains potential for expansion of ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly food entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka which builds on not only the local and national markets, but also reaches global markets.
Sri Lanka’s food entrepreneurship
Sri Lanka’s food sector has traditionally been one of the pillars of its economy and the potential for scaling up food entrepreneurship through innovation and good practices can be built on the existing opportunities which directly extend to the country’s agricultural base and culinary traditions.
The market has seen startups and entrepreneurial ventures that integrate healthy food options and prioritise health-conscious food businesses. These entrepreneurships could be considered as ones creating space to provide solutions to the health issues prevalent in today’s society, as well as addressing the sustainable solutions for the betterment of the planet.
Sri Lanka’s food entrepreneurship also builds on the culinary richness of the country, as well as the country’s culture.
For example, many food entrepreneurs are those whose livelihoods depend on income generated as street-based food vendors. They form a core component of Sri Lanka’s food entrepreneurship as well as culinary narrative and contribute significantly to the informal economy, which accounts for approximately 60% of the country’s employed population.
Challenges and support systems
Despite the opportunities, food entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka face several challenges. Access to finance can be a significant barrier, particularly for new and small-scale entrepreneurs. Additionally, navigating the regulatory environment can be complex, with multiple licences and permits required to operate a food business.
To combat these challenges, several initiatives have been put in place. This includes Government entities as well as private sector and non-profit sector support providers, including the Industrial Development Board (IDB), the Export Development Board (EDB), the Small Enterprise Development Division, incubators and accelerators, and banking and private sector investors.
Sustainability is becoming a crucial aspect of food entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. With the global shift towards environmentally-friendly practices, many new enterprises are adopting sustainable methods from farm to fork. This includes reducing food waste, promoting organic farming, and using eco-friendly packaging.
Ethical practices are also becoming a selling point for Sri Lankan food businesses. Fair trade and ethically sourced ingredients are increasingly common, appealing to a global consumer base that is conscious of the social impact of their food choices.
Plant-based food options
Sri Lanka offers a variety of locally available plant-based proteins, which are both affordable and nutrient-dense. The plant-based protein market in Sri Lanka has seen significant growth, with an increasing amount of food options over the years.
The Sri Lankan market has witnessed a surge in demand for plant-based proteins, a trend that aligns with global patterns. This shift has encouraged local companies to invest in research and development of new plant-based protein products. From lifestyle choices to health benefits associated with plant-based proteins being recognised, Sri Lanka’s market for plant-based food options is scaling up and transforming to cater to the existing as well as potential growth in demand.
The plant-based food sector is also an area holding high potential for innovation and can take several forms in Sri Lanka. This can be in the form of supporting traditional foods with higher protein content, which includes enhancing the protein levels or developing high-protein versions of popular food options. Another can be through the study and research to develop the potential in underutilised local crops that are high in protein and expanding the plant-based protein options available to consumers.
Sri Lanka’s biodiversity also offers an enabling environment for scaling up plant-based food and protein options which include plant species with potential protein-rich seeds and nuts that are yet to be commercialised and can be options for promoting national food options in the global market.
Future prospects
Transformed food systems and entrepreneurship can pave the way for sustainable development as well as climate resilience-building in Sri Lanka. Multi-actor partnerships can play a key role in supporting to achieve these.
The Government and private sector, as well as communities and technical entities can play a key role in supporting innovation in food systems in Sri Lanka. This can be through inclusive business models, transformative and futuristic approaches such as incentives for startups focusing on plant-based protein research, grants for agricultural research in protein-rich crops, and support for farmers to shift to sustainable protein crop production to drive much-needed change in food systems.
Food entrepreneurship that can innovate, maintain high standards of quality, and tap into global trends will be well-positioned for success by building on Sri Lanka’s unique culinary culture, as well as through healthy food options that are ethical and sustainable.
With a mix of traditional flavours and innovative concepts, Sri Lankan food businesses possess the ability to play a key role in the global food market and innovation and ethical practices can contribute to achieving this.
(The writer is an Attorney-at-Law specialising in public international law. She leads the work of SLYCAN Trust, a non-profit think tank working on climate change, sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, social justice, and animal welfare. She has worked over a decade on climate change at local, national, and international level with a focus on climate change related law and policy, UN climate change policy and actions, UNFCCC negotiations, climate adaptation and loss and damage related action, climate-friendly entrepreneurship, multi-stakeholder engagement in policy and climate action, including youth engagement and gender)