Thailand Proposes to Amend the Regulatory Requirements for Packaged Drinking Water, Beverage and Ice

The proposed amendments to "Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Drinking Water in Sealed Containers" involve the application scope, quality standards and labeling requirements. These revisions necessitate updates in regulations for beverages and ice. To echo, related requirements in the "Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Beverages in Sealed Containers (No. 3)" and the "Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Ice" are to be updated correspondingly.

On February 19, 2024, Thai Food and Drug Administration announced to seek for public feedback on the draft regulations for prepackaged drinking water, beverage and ice. Any comments can be sent back prior to March 30, 2024.

Regulations under consultation are:

The three drafts will come into effect 180 days after the finalized version promulgated in the Royal Gazette. A two-year grace period will be given to stakeholders upon the enforcement.

The proposed amendments to Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Drinking Water in Sealed Containers (hereinafter “MOPH Notification Re Drinking Water”) involve the application scope, quality standards and labeling requirements.

According to the draft, the classification of drinking water will include soda water and carbonated water, which were originally defined as beverage). This adjustment aligns with the international standards.

Aiming to mitigate the potential risks caused by current chemical contamination in freshwater sources and the change of risk levels of some chemical substances after risk evaluation, the competent authority proposes to amend the quality standards of prepackaged drinking water, especially its contaminant levels to protect the consumers’ health. The draft of MOPH Notification Re Drinking Water details the maximum levels of various types of contaminants in drinking water, including: 1) natural occurred contaminants like Arsenic and Chromium, 2) industrial and municipal contaminants like Cadmium and Benzene, 3) contaminants for agricultural chemical use like Atrazine and Carbofuran, 4) contaminants from water treatment chemicals or materials in contact with drinking water, like Copper and Acrylamide.

The authority also proposes to revise the labeling options and requirements for drinking water. As per the draft, apart from using attached ink-printing label, manufacturers will be allowed to display the information through embossing or engraving methods on plastic bottles, which is more eco-friendly. Enterprises are also permitted to indicate the water treatment methods and water sources (like "naturally carbonated or naturally sparkling" and "fortified with carbon dioxide") as selling points. However, manufacturers cannot use product name, trademarks or advertising statements that may cause misunderstandings to consumers or imply diseases treatment functions.

The proposed revisions to the MOPH Notification Re Drinking Water necessitate updates to the requirements stipulated in the Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Beverages in Sealed Containers (No. 3)(hereinafter referred to as the "MOPH Notification on Beverages") and the Ministry of Public Health Notification regarding Ice (hereinafter referred to as the "MOPH Notification on Ice").

When it comes to MOPH Notification Re Beverage (draft), as soda water and carbonated water will be defined as drinking water, this item is removed from beverages.

As for MOPH Notification Re Ice, its draft clarifies that the water used for the production of edible ice should meet the requirements specified in the MOPH Notification Re Drinking Water. Besides, the ice products are still required to be indicated with the statement “edible ice”, but the requirements of font coloring are removed.