Strong national participation, award-winning innovation, and buyer engagement marked Sri Lanka’s presence at Salon International de l’Alimentation (SIAL Paris 2026), the world’s leading international food industry exhibition, held in Paris from 17 to 21 October.
Supported by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), the Sri Lanka Tea Board, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in France, 92 companies participated, creating valuable opportunities to promote Sri Lankan products and strengthen international business links.
The 2026 edition of the world-leading food exhibition reached a historic scale, bringing together 8,000 exhibitors from 127 countries and attracting more than 295,000 trade professionals worldwide.
Sri Lanka’s participation advanced the country’s national export-promotion goals. The delegation comprised 92 companies: 64 major exporters, 20 exhibitors in the EDB pavilion, and 8 companies in the Sri Lanka Tea Board pavilion.
The national pavilions were officially inaugurated on 17 October 2026 with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to France, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna. Throughout the five-day fair, First Secretary (Commercial) Prasadi Boomawalage and Embassy officials provided hands-on support and facilitated business-to-business engagement.
To attract international buyers, the EDB pavilion hosted daily live culinary demonstrations. Leading chefs created recipes using value-added Sri Lankan products, premium spices, and Pure Ceylon Tea, demonstrating how readily these ingredients can meet contemporary global gourmet demands.
The National Organic Control Unit (NOCU) of the EDB was also represented at the fair to raise awareness of the Sri Lankan National Organic Certificate and the country's organic products among potential international buyers.
Four participating Sri Lankan companies received SIAL 2026 Recognition & Innovation Awards, providing strong international recognition for the country’s product development and value-added offerings:
- Dilmah - Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Tea Collection
- Russell’s Global - Wellness Tea
- CinZ - Ready-to-Drink Cinnamon Concentrate
- Goodness Factory - Premium Rice Bran Oil
The Embassy also utilized the event to invite prospective buyers to Sri Lanka Expo 2027, scheduled to take place in Colombo from 14 to 17 January 2027.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Paris 21
October 2026
