Thailand issues production processes and equipment/ utensils for production and storage of foods

1. Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) issues a notification that shall apply to any premises that produce foods for commercial. The exemption shall be applied to the following premises/areas in which the commercial foods are produced:
   1. Any private building, place or area, with or without dining area, in which foods are produced or cooked and sold [in situ] for immediate consumption. This exemption shall not apply to the private buildings, places or areas having either machines with a total power of at least 5 hp or equivalent or having workers of at least 7 people and such establishments produce the specific controlled foods, the standard or quality controlled foods, or the foods that required label, as the case may be.
   2. Food-selling establishments/ Food vending located in public areas or ways.
   3. Premises for production of edible salt.
   4. Premises for sorting and packing of some fresh vegetables and fruits which are regulated under the Notification of Ministry of Public Health regarding production processes and equipment/utensils for production and storage.
2. The requirements of GMP consist 5 sections:
   • Section 1 Location, Premise, Cleaning and Maintenance
   • Section 2 Equipment, Machines, Utensils, Production tools, Cleaning and Maintenance
   • Section 3 Process control
   • Section 4 Sanitation
   • Section 5 Personal hygiene
3. Food producers shall comply with this regulation. Food importers are required to bear certifying documents showing that their production standards are equivalent to or higher than the criteria described in the Annex of this Notification.
4. Producers of the foods listed below shall allocate the production supervisor(s) who has (have) successfully completed the FDA-approved training course(s):
   1. Bottled drinking water, natural mineral water and edible ice which has been passed through the filtration or disinfection process.
   2. Ready-to-drink milk products which are pasteurized using the high temperature treatment, i.e., cow's milk, flavoured cow's milk, cow's milk products and other pasteurized milk products from animal species other than cow. It also applies to those having freezing process after pasteurization.
   3. Low acid and acidified foods in hermetically sealed container, i.e., foods which have been passed through the thermal process of destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms after or before packing or sealing and other foods with a finished equilibrium pH greater than 4.6 and water activity greater than 0.85,which has been passed through the thermal process and packaged in hermetically sealed rigid or flexible metal or other materials containers capable of preventing ambient air from entering into the container and which can be kept under normal temperature.
5. Licensees who have been granted a food production or importation licences prior to the date of entry into force shall comply with this Notification within 180 days as from the enforcement date.
6. This notification shall come into force after 60 days from its publication in the Official Gazette.

Products covered: Food for commercial

Hs code: 2106

Proposed date of adoption: to be determined

Proposed date of entry into force:  60 days after being notified in the official gazette

Last date for comments:  14 June 2020

If the Proposal/Notification/Regulation will affect your International Business please send us your representation with facts and figures , so that these can be taken up suitably.