FDA Thailand Reading the 13-digit Thai FDA number on dietary supplements, and checking it is genuine
What the 13-digit Thai FDA number on a supplement is
The 13-digit Thai FDA number on a dietary supplement is its food serial number, printed inside the Thai FDA logo frame. Checking it confirms that the product is authorised and that the record matches the product you are holding. Dietary supplements are "food" under the Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979), so they use the same 13-digit serial number as other packaged food, not a drug registration number.
Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 293 B.E. 2548 (2005) defines a dietary supplement as a product taken in addition to normal food, containing nutrients or other substances, in the form of tablets, capsules, powder, flakes, liquid or another form that is not normal food. It is a quality-standard food, so the manufacturer or importer must obtain a serial number before sale.
Supplements are often marketed with health messages, which makes checking the number a sensible first step: it tells you that a company is legally responsible and whether the label you see matches what was authorised.
Thai food serial number format: what each group means
The Thai FDA Regulation on food serial numbers B.E. 2567 (2024) describes the number as 13 digits in five groups, XX-X-XXXXX-X-XXXX.
| Group | Digits | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Province where the manufacturing or import site is located |
| 2 | 1 | Type of site (manufacture or import) and licensing authority (Thai FDA or province) |
| 3 | 5 | Three-digit site number followed by the last two digits of the Buddhist-era year |
| 4 | 1 | Issuing office |
| 5 | 4 | Sequence number of the food product |
The first eight digits identify the site; the last five identify the product. Several products from the same company therefore share the first eight digits. A Food Division manual for drinking-water producers describes the same logic: a site receives its eight-digit number first, then each product is filed to receive its own product sequence, making 13 digits.
The regulation also requires the digits in the frame to contrast with the frame background and to be at least 2 mm high. A number too small to read, or one without a frame, is a reason to look more closely.
Check supplement registration Thailand: how to search
- Read all 13 digits inside the Thai FDA frame.
- On the Thai FDA website, open the product search menu, choose food and search by number, or use the Thai FDA number checker on this site.
- If the number returns nothing, search by a short product name or by company name.
- Compare the record with the label, as described below.
Do this every time you buy from an unfamiliar seller, especially online shops and products that promise fast results.
Thai supplement FDA number: what must match the label
A search hit is not enough. Compare these points with the actual label.
- Product name. The supplement notification requires the name to include the Thai words for "dietary supplement". The database name should match the label.
- Manufacturer or importer. Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024) on labelling of packaged food requires the name and address of the manufacturer, repacker or importer, and for imports, the name and country of the manufacturer.
- Form and key ingredients. A capsule record for a product sold as a drink powder, or clearly different key ingredients, is a warning sign.
- Status. Under the 2024 regulation, a serial number can be shown until the underlying manufacturing or import licence expires or lapses, and cancelling the licence makes every serial number under it lapse.
Thai supplement label warnings and mandatory content
Besides the serial number, supplement labels for consumers must carry the information required by Notification No. 293 as amended by Nos. 405 and 411. Points a consumer can check easily:
- the name includes "dietary supplement" in Thai;
- tablets and capsules state the count;
- key ingredients with amounts, in descending order;
- four warnings required on every product: the word "Warning" at least 1.5 mm high in a box; "children and pregnant women should not consume"; "eat a variety of foods from all five food groups in appropriate proportions regularly"; and "has no effect in preventing or curing disease", in bold inside the box;
- ingredient-specific warnings, for example chitosan products must advise taking them at least two hours apart from fatty products, and fibre products must be taken with one to two glasses of water, according to the explanatory note on Nos. 405 and 411.
A label without the four mandatory warnings, or without Thai, deserves caution. You can check label wording with the label checker.
Other label details that help confirm a genuine product
Notification No. 450 also sets minimum content for any packaged food label sold to consumers, which you can use as a completeness check:
- Thai language, with other languages allowed alongside;
- net quantity in metric units, such as grams or millilitres;
- allergen information for the prescribed allergen groups;
- food additives, by functional class and specific name or INS number;
- expiry or best-before date.
A label missing several basics at once, such as no Thai, no importer and no expiry date, often belongs to a product that was not imported through proper channels. Buy from established sellers you can trace.
Warning signs when buying supplements
- Claims to prevent or cure disease. Supplements must state that they have no effect in preventing or curing disease, so any label or ad implying otherwise conflicts with the law. The 2024 regulation also lists medicine-like or cosmetic-like claims and false advertising among the grounds for cancelling a serial number.
- Fast weight loss or body-shaping promises. The Thai FDA food advertising criteria B.E. 2569 (2026) prohibit advertising food as reducing weight or reshaping the body.
- No Thai FDA frame, or fewer than 13 digits.
- Name or company in the database differs from the label.
- No Thai-language label on a product sold to consumers in Thailand.
For more on reading ads, see spotting exaggerated health and beauty ads. If something does not match, stop taking the product, keep the pack and purchase evidence, and call the 1556 hotline; see a doctor if you feel unwell and bring the pack.
For supplement brand owners
More consumers now check numbers, so brands whose labels match their authorisation to the letter have an advantage. Three areas to manage:
- Label matches the authorisation, including name, manufacturer, importer and key ingredients.
- Post-approval records. The serial-number regulation requires the 100% formula, production method, container type and raw-material specifications (where active ingredients are added) to be kept at the manufacturing or import site for inspection, and supplements must submit quality analysis results on first manufacture or import.
- Advertising must not go beyond what was authorised.
Read the full brand-side guide in Thai dietary supplement labels. Foreign brands need a Thai importer to hold the licence; for end-to-end filing, see our registration service, or ask initial questions in the RA Advisor. For other product types, read how to check a Thai FDA number.
Frequently asked questions
What number do Thai supplements use?
Supplements are food under Thai law, so they use the 13-digit food serial number inside the Thai FDA logo frame, the same as other packaged food.
What do the five groups of the 13 digits mean?
Province (2), site type and licensing authority (1), site number plus year (5), issuing office (1) and product sequence (4), under the 2024 food serial number regulation.
Why do several products share the first eight digits?
The first eight digits identify the manufacturing or import site, so products from the same site share them and differ in the final product sequence.
Which warnings must a Thai supplement label carry?
Every product needs the boxed word "Warning" and three statements: children and pregnant women should not consume; eat a variety of foods from all five groups; has no effect in preventing or curing disease. Some ingredients add specific warnings.
Is a supplement advertised as curing disease legal?
No. Supplements must state they do not prevent or cure disease, and medicine-like claims are grounds for cancelling the serial number.
Sources
- Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 293 B.E. 2548 (2005) on dietary supplements · Open source · Search our archive
- Explanatory note on supplement Notifications Nos. 405 and 411 · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA Regulation on food serial numbers B.E. 2567 (2024) · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024) on labelling of packaged food · Open source · Search our archive
- Production supervisor manual for bottled drinking water (Food Division) · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA notification on food advertising criteria B.E. 2569 (2026) · Open source · Search our archive
This article is for general information. It is not a Thai FDA ruling or legal advice, and rules change — check the latest notification or ask an expert before filing or producing.