Import: Standards, Testing, Etc.

Standards and Technical Regulations

Standards and technical regulations are created to defend the safety of humans, the environment, and the nation. The requirements may concern the features or quality of a product or the procedures for testing, certification, labeling, and so on. They relate to issues such as product development, production, packaging, storage, distribution, and marketing.

Standards are voluntary and are generally developed by a group of stakeholders, such as industry, consumers, public authorities, and researchers. Technical regulations are compulsory requirements set by governments. A standard may become a technical regulation if a government mandates it.

International organizations devoted to creating and administering standards include:

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T), telecommunication standardization sector

Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI)

The Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) operates under the Ministry of Industry and is the national standards body for Thailand. It is responsible for development of standards, product certification, promotion of standardization, and cooperation with international organizations.

Labeling

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve all labeling for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products.

Alcoholic Beverages

The information listed below should be given in English, except for the warning statement, which must be in the Thai language:

Brand name
Alcohol concentration (by degree or percentage)
Quantity (volume)
Warning statement: "Drinking alcoholic beverages decreases driving ability"
Name and address of winery, factory, or importer
Symbol of product registration (when applicable)

Food Labeling

Labels for food products that are sold directly to customers must be in the Thai language. In some cases, labels in Thai can be applied as a sticker over an existing label in the original language. The following information is required:

Name of the food
Registration number
Name and address of the manufacturer
Net content of the food in metric measurements
A list of the main ingredients as a percentage of the total, in descending order
Any additives used (for instance, preservatives, flavors, or sweeteners)
Manufacturing and expiry dates
Health and nutritional claims, if any

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Labeling

The Thai government has banned the commercial planting of transgenic seeds but does allow imports of transgenic soybeans and corn for a wide range of domestic uses, in both the feed-milling and food-processing industries. The Ministry of Public Health has prescribed labeling laws for food containing GMO materials/products.

In products containing more than one ingredient, labeling is only required for the top three ingredients by weight. It is required if each ingredient constitutes 5 percent or more of the final product and 5 percent or more of that ingredient is derived from GMO ingredients.

Note: The above information is subject to change. Importers are advised to obtain the most current information from a customs broker, freight forwarder, or the local customs authorities.