Digital food labels in Thailand are labels that give consumers mandatory food information through an electronic channel, such as a QR code, instead of printing every detail on the package. Thai law already allows this for bottled water and certain beverages. A draft Ministry of Public Health notification, published for comment in December 2025 and not yet in force, would extend the option to most prepackaged foods.
Food labels in Thailand are governed by Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024), in force since 19 July 2024. A draft amendment, notified to the WTO on 8 January 2026, would add a voluntary digital label option for most prepackaged foods. Core details such as the food name, the food serial number and allergen information would still have to appear on the physical package. Infant foods, food supplements and several other categories would be excluded. The draft also proposes four new allergens and a three-year transition for existing labels.
What Are Digital Food Labels in Thailand?
Digital food labels in Thailand are an optional way to deliver mandatory label information electronically. The consumer scans a code on the pack and reads the information online. Under the current draft, the digital label would add to the physical label rather than replace it, because a fixed set of core details must stay on the container.
The idea is not new to Thai food regulation. The Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) has accepted electronic information for drinking water and some beverages. The draft amendment would turn these product-specific permissions into a general rule for prepackaged foods. For a foreign brand, the change would affect artwork, export packaging and the systems that host label data.
Which Food Labeling Rules Apply Today?
The current rules are set by Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024) on the labelling of prepackaged foods, issued under the Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979). It was published in the Royal Gazette on 18 July 2024 and came into force on 19 July 2024.
Notification No. 450 replaced Notifications Nos. 367, 383, 401 and 410. It covers label content, allergen declarations, food additives and the definition of “best before”. Labels produced before 19 July 2024 could be used until 18 July 2026, so full compliance with Notification No. 450 has been required since 19 July 2026. Nutrition labelling and GDA values are set by separate notifications, which we explain in our guide to GDA labeling in Thailand.
Where Digital Food Labels in Thailand Are Already Allowed
Digital food labels in Thailand are already permitted in two product areas: bottled water and certain beverages. These permissions come from product-specific rules, not from Notification No. 450, and they show the model the general draft would follow.
Drinking water and natural mineral water
Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 462 B.E. 2568 (2025) on drinking water in sealed containers was issued on 11 December 2025 and took effect on 12 December 2025. Together with Notification No. 464 B.E. 2568 for natural mineral water, it allows certain essential information to be embossed or engraved on the container, with other mandatory information provided digitally.
The drafts that Thailand notified to the WTO in 2025 explain the design. The food name or brand, the food serial number and the volume would be shown on the bottle by embossing or engraving, together with a digital label on the cap. The manufacturing, expiry or best-before date would still be shown on each bottle. Details such as the manufacturer’s or importer’s name and address, chemical composition and declared treatment could be given in the digital label only. The stated aims were easier recycling of plastic bottles and less label waste.
Small and returnable beverage containers
Eligible beverages in returnable glass bottles, and liquid beverages with a front label area under 65 square centimetres, may already give the nutrition declaration and GDA information electronically, including by QR code.
What Does the 2026 Draft Amendment Propose?
The Thai FDA released the draft “Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (No. 2)” on 24 December 2025. Thailand notified it to the WTO on 8 January 2026 as G/TBT/N/THA/799, with comments due by 9 March 2026. The draft would amend Notification No. 450.
For digital labels, the draft adds a new Clause 5/1 to Notification No. 450. Producers and importers could choose to provide certain mandatory information through a digital label. The option comes with two conditions. First, all required information must remain complete. Second, the business must maintain a system that keeps the digital information accessible at all times.
According to the WTO notification, the amendment would enter into force on the day after its publication in the Royal Gazette. As of late October 2026, it had been announced as a draft but had not yet been published as a final notification.
| Instrument | Subject | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MoPH Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 | Labelling of prepackaged foods | In force since 19 July 2024 |
| MoPH Notification No. 462 B.E. 2568 | Drinking water in sealed containers, embossed and digital labelling | In force since 12 December 2025 |
| MoPH Notification No. 464 B.E. 2568 | Natural mineral water, embossed and digital labelling | In force |
| Draft Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (No. 2) | Optional digital labels for most prepackaged foods, new Clause 5/1 | Draft; WTO notification 8 January 2026 |
Which Details Must Stay on the Physical Label?
Under the draft, a digital label cannot carry everything. A core set of particulars must stay on the package itself, so that a consumer without a phone or connection can still identify the product, check its safety and see its allergens.
The published draft lists the following particulars as information that must remain on the physical label:
- The name of the food.
- The Thai FDA food serial number.
- The net quantity.
- Ingredient information.
- Allergen declarations.
- The expiry date or best-before date, as applicable.
- Any required warning statements.
The summary that Thailand filed with the WTO also names the manufacturer’s address among the details to be displayed on the container. Other mandatory particulars could move to the digital label, subject to the accessibility condition.
Which Foods Are Excluded From Digital Food Labels in Thailand?
The draft excludes foods for vulnerable consumers and products with a special regulatory status. For these categories, every mandatory particular must stay on the physical label. A digital label may add information, but it cannot replace anything.
The excluded categories include:
- infant formula and infant formula for special medical purposes;
- follow-up formula for infants aged six to twelve months and formula for young children;
- complementary foods for infants and young children;
- foods for special purposes; and
- food supplements.
Businesses selling these products in Thailand should plan on full physical labels. Our guide to Thai FDA food registration for overseas brands explains how product categories are assigned during registration.
What Else Would the Draft Amendment Change?
The digital label option is one part of a wider amendment. Based on the WTO notification and the Thai FDA release, the draft also covers the points below.
New allergens
Notification No. 450 already lists allergens such as cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk and tree nuts, and sulphites. It also covers shellfish and squid. The draft would add four items: sesame, celery, mustard and lupin.
Food additives and multi-item packs
The draft revises how food additives are declared, including labelling of the additive’s function. It also sets rules for containers holding several items, such as gift sets and monk offering baskets. These would need a Thai-language label listing every item, the earliest expiry date among them and any necessary warnings.
Transition and exemptions
The draft proposes a three-year transition for existing labels. It also revisits exemptions for food sold directly to consumers and tightens rules for some foods that were previously exempt from labelling.
Preparing Packaging for Digital Food Labels in Thailand
The draft has a clear split. Identity, safety and allergen information stays on the pack, while secondary particulars may move online. Because the option is voluntary, a brand can keep its present labels. A brand that adopts it would take on a continuing duty to keep the digital information available.
For this reason, the decision touches more than artwork. The hosting system, the link printed on the pack and the content behind it must stay live for the shelf life of every unit in circulation. In addition, the physical label must still carry the particulars listed above, in the form Notification No. 450 requires. Brands in an excluded category gain no space on the pack, since the digital label can only add information.
Label rules and product registration also meet on the pack. The food serial number issued on registration is one of the particulars that must stay on the physical label, so it cannot move to the digital layer. Our Thai FDA registration and business licensing team advises food and supplement brands on both sets of rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital food labels in Thailand allowed now?
Is the digital label mandatory under the draft?
Can all label information be moved to a QR code?
Which products cannot use a digital label in place of the physical label?
When will the draft take effect?
Digital Food Labels in Thailand: Status and Next Steps
Digital food labels in Thailand are in force for bottled water and certain beverages, and proposed for most other prepackaged foods. The draft amendment to Notification No. 450 keeps identity, safety and allergen information on the pack and excludes infant foods, foods for special purposes and food supplements. Brands should follow publication in the Royal Gazette and review artwork against the final text. The current labelling notifications are listed by the Thai FDA Food Division, and comments on WTO-notified drafts are handled by the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards.
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