Page 24 - FoodFocusThailand No.166 January 2020

SPECIAL TALK BY FDA
SPECIAL TALK BY FDA
SPECIAL TALK BY FDA

The Most Recently Enforced Food Regulations
Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No.394 B.E.2561 (2018)
Issued by Virtue of the Food Act B.E.2522 Re:
Food Products Required to Bear Nutrition Labelling and

Guideline Daily Amounts, GDA Labelling

Nowadays, over-nutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) 3.2 Displaying of energy value with the content of sugar, fat
— particularly obesity, diabetes and hypertension — are the public and sodium of food shall conform to the format and conditions
health problems both national and global levels. To address these (Annex Attachment of Notification of the Ministry of Public Health
issues, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has implemented a policy (No. 394)).
to reduce the consumption of sweet, salty, and fatty foods by requiring 3.3 The statement “consume small amount and exercise for healthy
the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) of energy value as well as the condition" shall be displayed in bold and visible letters. The colour of
content of fat, sugar and sodium per pack to be displayed on the front the letters contrasts with the background's colour and the colour of
of food package. Therefore, consumers can make informed food the frame contrasts with the label's colour. For snacks, chocolate and
choices. Recently, some kinds of food required GDAs labelling on the chocolate-flavoured like products and bakery products.
front-of-pack (FOP) compulsorily have been expanded by issued the Further information about GDA labelling can be obtained from
Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No.394 B.E.2561 (2018) Announcement of the Food and Drug Administration Re: Explanation
Issued by Virtue of the Food Act B.E.2522 Re: Food Products Required of the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No.394 B.E.2561
to Bear Nutrition Labelling and Guideline Daily Amounts, GDA Labelling (2018) Issued by Virtue of the Food Act B.E.2522 (1979) Re: Food
with the key contents as follows: Products Required to Bear Nutrition Labelling and Guideline Daily
Amount on 12 November B.E.2561 (2018) is available on FDA
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The Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No.374 (B.E.2559) website: http://food.fda.moph.go.th/law/data/announ_fda/No.394.pdf
1entitled "Food Products Required to Bear Nutrition Labelling and (Thai version).
Guideline Daily Amounts, GDAs Labelling", shall be repealed.
Food following this notification will not be applicable to food freshly
Ready-to-Eat foods listed in the Table which are packaged for sale 4 cooked for consumers and foods identified by the Ministry of Public
2to consumers are required to display nutritional labelling with GDAs Health regarding specific food labelling.
labelling. Producers, importers and exporters of these following food before
Beverages, ready-to-drink tea, ready-to-drink coffee and soy bean 5the official announcement of this notification may continue with
beverages which contain in the returnable glass bottles and beverages, product distribution no later than 20 April B.E.2564 (2021).
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flavored milk, fermented milk, other milk products, soy bean beverages 5.1 Other fried or roasted plant seeds, roasted salt, and seasoned
in which case the area in front of pack are less than 65 sq.cm., and 5.2 Shredded, sheet, fried, roasted or seasoned meat apart from
inadequate to display the nutrition information panel and GDAs fish snack, fried or crispy, roasted or seasoned.
labelling, the nutrition detective mobile applications through mobile 5.3 Snacks following the Table (No.1) which is combined more
phones can be applied together with displaying at the area where the than 1
products are sold. For example, QR Code which includes nutritional 5.4 Drinks in hermetically sealed package
facts, nutritional label and GDA label on display at point-of-sales or 5.5 Instant tea, liquid and dried
restaurants. 5.6 Instant coffee, liquid or dried
Display of GDA labelling shall be done as follow: 5.7 Flavoured milk
3 3.1 Conform to the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health 5.8 Yoghurt drink
regarding Labelling of Prepackaged Foods and Notification of the 5.9 Dairy products
5.10 Soy milk drink
Ministry of Public Health that have specific labelling and Nutrition 5.11 Ready-to-Eat Ice cream
Labelling shall be displayed either one of the following:
(1) Full format of nutritional facts complying the Notification 6 Enforcement Period
of Ministry of Public Health, Re: Nutritional Labelling. Notification of the Ministry of Public Health No.394 B.E.2561
(2) Simplified format of nutritional facts complying the (2018) Issued by Virtue of the Food Act B.E.2522 (1979) Re: Food
Notification of the Ministry of Public Health, Re: Nutritional Products Required to Bear Nutrition Labelling and Guideline Daily
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Labelling in which total energy, total fat, protein, total Amounts, GDA Labelling on 26 September B.E.2561 (2018) and
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carbohydrate, sugar and sodium shall be displayed. In effective from 20 April B.E.2562 (2019) onwards.
addition, if such foods contain cholesterol more than
2 milligrams per serving, cholesterol content have to be 7 Punitive Measures
Importer, exporters or distributors who are not following the
displayed in the panel. Notification will be considered violation of the law following section
6(10) of the Food Act B.E.2522 (1979) and shall be subject to fine of
not more than THB 30,000.
24 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND JAN 2020

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