Thailand Amends the Regulation for the Labeling of Prepackaged Food

On July 19, 2024, Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled Ministry of Public Health Notification (No. 450) on the Labeling of Prepackaged Food (hereinafter MOPH Notification No. 450), which replaced MOPH Notification No. 367 on the Labeling of Prepackaged Food and its three amendment notifications (MOPH No. 383, No. 401 and No. 420). The new labeling regulation became effective starting from July 19, 2024, with a two-year grace period for food stakeholders to make preparation. In other words, products whose labeling is compliant with MOPH No. 367 can continue to be sold until July 19, 2026.

Compared with the previous version, the new regulation makes the labeling requirements clearer and more practical. For example, net quantity is a mandatory item for prepackaged food. For solid food, both the old and the new version require the net weight to be labeled. However, the new one supplements that for solid food products for which net weight is infeasible to be indicated, such as fresh eggs and fruits sold in package, it can be counted by number of pieces.

Other changes in MOPH Notification No. 450 involve:

Display of food ingredients

As per MOPH No. 367, the ingredients must be listed in descending order, but this way becomes a recommendation in the latest regulation. The competent authority clarifies that on the one hand, consumers can still receive complete and correct information about the ingredients used even with non-descending order. Additionally, displaying without ordering does not mean the operators intend to mislead the consumers, because they can still deliberately highlight the use of particular ingredients on the front or other prominent areas of package if they want to. In this case, it is meaningless to mislead consumer through the ingredient list, a comparatively inconspicuous part of the label.

When it comes to the indication of food additives, it is not required to mention the color is natural or synthetic, as those color have been evaluated and approved for safety no matter they are natural or synthetic, and this new requirement aligns with the Codex standard.

Allergen labeling

MOPH No. 450 adjusts the display format of the allergen information, which makes the allergen labeling more flexible and provides more options for food enterprises. For example, the regulation adds that the phrase "Information for food allergies" may be replaced by other expressions with the same meaning, and shall be displayed in a visible and easily readable position.

Shellfish, squid, and squid products are also included as new allergen substance that shall be indicated if there is.

Warning statement

In case there are multiple announcements requiring similar warning statements of a product, these warnings can be displayed together with the complete meaning.

Please check Ministry of Public Health Notification (No. 450) on the Labeling of Prepackaged Food for more detailed information. Feel free to contact ChemLinked if you need any translation service.