To legally import food products for sale in Thailand must navigate a multi-step regulatory process and Ministerial Notification.
- Import Licensing and Business Structure
Under Food Act, any entity wishing to import food for sale must obtain an import license (Form Or. 7). The application to grant Form Or. 7 can file via online system.
- Products Registration (FDA Serial Numbers)
Once the general import license is secured, each individual product must be registered to receive a 13-digit FDA serial numbers. Registration is required for each specific product. For example, two different flavors of the same cookie brand require two separate FDA serial numbers. Importers may bring in small quantities of products (e.g., maximum 50g x 20 for ready-to-eat foods) as samples for laboratory testing to facilitate registration. However, the company must already hold an import license before importing these samples.
Upon receiving Form and FDA Serial Numbers for every imported products, the products from overseas can be imported.
- Mandatory Labeling Requirements
Thai law specified mainly 3 groups of products that required labelling which includes the following:
Group 1 – “Specially Control Foods” requires the strictest oversight such as dietary supplement, or food for weight control etc.
Group 2- “Foods with Prescribed Quality or Standards” must strictly meet safety, purity, and nutritional benchmarks set by the Ministry of Public Health such as beverages, seasonings, and etc.
Group 3 – “Foods Required to Bear Labels” are the least restrictive category. The primary legal requirement is to ensure that the products display accurate standardized food labels to protect consumers.
The labels must be in Thai language. The content of labels must include the details of food products such as food name, Thai FDA number, net quantity, etc. Some products may require additional Nutrition and Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) Labeling such as snack or bakery products which require to states the amount of energy, sugars, fat and sodium.
Steps to Import Food Products for sale from overseas to Thailand_Bangkok Global Law