With the surge in health consciousness trends, the Thai FDA is ready to support functional foods, which have recently gained worldwide attention by issuing a notification to support health claims to ensure consumer safety, as well as to drive economic value and trade for the country.

Mr. Lertchai Lertvut, Deputy Secretary-General of the Food and Drug Administration, stated that functional foods (foods that contain added nutrients and other Health-promoting substances) are attracting worldwide interest. They not only contain nutritional values but also help the body function properly and reduce the risk of disease. According to the Office of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council’s 2024 data, the market value of functional foods in Thailand is as high as 100,000 million baht, with the growth rate of 8% and the export value at 128,000 million baht, with the growth rate of 9%. Health claims on Labels and advertisements are key selling point for health-conscious consumers. Nevertheless, health claims on labels must be proven, recognized and attested.

Therefore, to ensure the consumer safety and health benefits from food consumption, as well as to facilitate trade, promoting and supporting potency of functional foods, the Thai FDA has issued the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No. 477, B.E. 2566 (2023) Re: Health Claims Made on Food Labelling. This notification defines and specifies claims, as well as the clarity criteria and conditions for claims in practice include 3 positive lists in the Annex of the Notification to facilitate entrepreneurs and to increase competitiveness at the international level as follows:

            1. Nutrient function claims: 28 items, 135 statements, such as “Protein is essential for growth and repairing body tissue” and “Vitamin C contributes to the antioxidant process.”

            2. Other Function Claims for 6 Food Ingredients: 8 statements, such as “Beta-glucans from oat/barley contribute to the reduction of cholesterol absorption” and “Choline contributes to normal lipid metabolism.”

            3. Claims on Risk Reduction for 2 Food Ingredients: 4 statements, such as “Low sodium diets may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease.”   

The Notification has been in effect since July 2nd, 2024. Entrepreneurs can use the statements on labels and advertisements without submitting documents to the Thai FDA for permission, reducing steps and processing time. However, should you wish to make other claims than those stated in the Annex, you can submit health claim assessment reports to the Thai FDA’s registered certifying bodies. Approval will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Deputy Secretary-General further stated that the Thai FDA plans to collaborate with various agencies for assessments to append more health claim statements of foods and food ingredients, promoting the functional foods business, which can sustainably enhance trade and economic value of Thailand.

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News Publication Date: 2 July 2024