Pre-packaged food products

Country
Thailand (TH)
NPG Category
Edible
NPG Product
Other edible Non-prescribed goods

1.1 Prohibited

Unless specified within the commodity list below, the Department is unaware of any specific requirement for edible processed goods that are for export to Thailand.

1.2 Conditions

1.2.1 Food manufacturer auditing and registration with Thai Authorities

Thailand requires food manufacturers to have their establishments registered with the Thai authorities annually. To be registered, manufacturers must be audited.

Auditing can be achieved through commercial arrangements, for example, by a Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) accredited food safety auditing system. Where food manufacturers do not use a JAS-ANZ accredited auditing system, the use of an independent third-party auditing system will be required. Auditing must meet HACCP standards or Codex good manufacturing practices.

1.2.2 Requirement of a production certificate for importing food products

On 9 February 2021, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) published notification no. 420 B.E. 2563 on the Food Production Processes, Processing Equipment/Utensils and Storage Practices (PDF 226 KB). The notification expanded the scope of food products required to present a production certificate to cover all types of imported food.

The notification covers manufacturers of all non-prescribed goods for human consumption including edible salt, drinking water, mineral water or ice milk, canned food and acidified food that utilises thermal treatment.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires food importers to present a production certificate that demonstrates that a production standard equivalent to MOPH’s requirements has been achieved.

These requirements are outlined in Notification of the MOPH (Number 420) of B.E. 2563 (PDF 226 KB).

Production certificate -issued by a Certifying Body

A production certificate is a document or certificate assuring food production standards and issued by an organisation that follows the Codex Guidelines for the Design, Operation, Assessment and Accreditation of Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CAC/GL 26-1997). For example, the certificate issued by a certification body (CB) being membered and accredited by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

For Australia, these certification bodies will need to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ).

The Thailand FDA will check the accredited certification body against the Accredited Bodies Search | JAS ANZ list. If your CB is not found, the production certificate will be delayed and/or declined by the Thailand FDA.

Producers may contact a JAS ANZ accredited body for information on how to obtain certification to the required standards.

Such certificates are required for the product registration with FDA and the product clearance processes at the point of entry into Thailand. 

Australian exporters are advised to communicate with their Thai importers and suppliers to ensure the Thailand MOPH requirements are met.

Production certificate documentary evidence issued by the Department

Under Notification 420, Government Authorities in the food producing country are also authorised to issue documentary evidence which shows production standards equivalent to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) have been met.

Where a producer or exporter holds a production certificate from a certifying body that is not JAS-ANZ accredited (but still meets CODEX Guidelines) they can request the department to assess the certifying body certificates, showing they have been audited. The department can then issue a letter titled “Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice and HACCP”.

The letter will be issued in accordance with the certificate supplied to the department. Only the products listed within the scope of the certificate will be attached to the letter. Where the food manufacturer is not also the exporter, the exporter will need to source the production certificate from the manufacturer prior to applying for the letter. Exporters must check with their importer to ensure that the production certificate has been issued for a production standard that is equivalent to MOPH’s requirements for the products being exported. The exporter must ensure the letter has been issued before exporting the food products to Thailand.

The letter can be presented to Port Authorities in Thailand to clear product/s.

*Importing country requirements for some non-prescribed goods that contain meat, fish, dairy or egg products and animal by-products are covered on the relevant meat, dairy, fish or egg pages in Micor. You should check for importing country requirements there.

Labelling:

The Thailand Ministry of Public Health requires that food products have nutrition labelling and Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) labelling.

To comply with GDA labelling, nutrient information (such as energy value, sugar, fat and sodium) in relation to the food must be declared in terms of percentage of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) per package.

Food products required to bear nutrition labelling and Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) labelling are as follows:

  1. (1) Snacks including:
    1. (1.1) Fried or baked potato chips;
    2. (1.2) Fried or baked corn;
    3. (1.3) Rice crisps or extruded snack;
    4. (1.4) Roasted or salty roasted or flavoured legumes/nuts/seeds;
    5. (1.5) Fried or baked or flavoured seaweed;
    6. (1.6) Fried or baked or flavoured meat-based snacks;
    7. (1.7) Mixed snacks containing more than one type of snacks listed in (1.1) – (1.6)

  2. (2) Chocolate and Chocolate flavoured like products

  3. (3) Bakery products including:
    1. (3.1) Crackers or biscuits;
    2. (3.2) Filled wafers;
    3. (3.3) Cookies;
    4. (3.4) Cake;
    5. (3.5) Pies and pastries, both with and without stuffing

  4. (4) Semi - processed foods including:
    1. (4.1) Noodles, sheets of rice noodle, wheat noodles, rice vermicelli and mung bean vermicelli;
    2. (4.2) Boiled rice and rice porridge

  5. (5) Chilled and frozen ready-to-eat meals

  6. (6) Beverages
    1. (6.1) Beverages which are produced from or contain fruits, edible plants or vegetables whether or not the carbon dioxide or oxygen gas is dissolved, except dried herbal tea drinks;
    2. (6.2) Beverages which are produced from or contain other constituents which are not fruits, edible plants or vegetables, whether or not the carbon dioxide or oxygen gas is dissolved;
    3. (6.3) Beverages according to (6.1) or (6.2) in dry form

  7. (7) Ready-to-drink tea in liquid or dry form

  8. (8) Ready-to-drink coffee in liquid or dry form

  9. (9) Flavoured milk

  10. (10) Fermented milk

  11. (11) Other milk products

  12. (12) Soy bean beverages

  13. (13) Ready-to-eat ice cream

Refer to the WTO notification for more information.

14/04/2025 - Updated conditions as per Thailand's importing country requirements (section 1.2).
13/09/2023 - New case created.