FDA Thailand Thai dietary supplement labels: mandatory text, warnings, vitamin limits and restrictions
Which rules govern Thai dietary supplement labels
Thai dietary supplement labels must satisfy two layers of law. The first is Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024) on labelling of packaged food, which covers all food and states that it also applies to foods with their own labelling notifications, such as supplements. The second is Notification No. 293 B.E. 2548 (2005) on dietary supplements, as amended by Nos. 405 and 411 (2019), which sets supplement-specific text and warnings.
Products containing vitamins or minerals must also follow Notification No. 448 B.E. 2566 (2023) on daily maximums, and any nutrition claim triggers a nutrition panel under Notification No. 445.
No. 450 took effect on 19 July 2024 and allowed labels made under the previous notification (No. 367) to be sold for up to two years. That transition has ended, so every newly printed label must follow No. 450.
Thai supplement label requirements: the basic items
Clause 5 of No. 450 sets the minimum content for consumer food labels, including supplements:
- Thai language (other languages allowed alongside);
- food name;
- food serial number inside the Thai FDA frame;
- name and address of the manufacturer, repacker or importer, and for imports the manufacturer's name and country;
- net quantity in metric units;
- key ingredients as approximate percentages;
- allergen information;
- food additives by functional class and specific name or INS number;
- flavouring statement, where applicable;
- expiry or best-before date;
- warnings and other prescribed statements.
Font sizes
Clause 15 requires the food name to be at least 2 mm high (1 mm if the label is under 35 cm²). Quantity, ingredients, allergens and expiry must be at least 1 mm on labels up to 100 cm², or 1.5 mm on larger labels. The serial-number regulation requires the digits inside the Thai FDA frame to be at least 2 mm high.
Clause 13 requires a brand name to be accompanied by the Thai word for "brand" or "trademark".
Supplement-specific text under Notification No. 293
Notification No. 293, as amended by No. 405, adds:
- The name must include the Thai words for "dietary supplement".
- Content: tablets and capsules must state the count.
- Key ingredients with amounts, in descending order.
The explanatory note on Nos. 405 and 411 confirms that every supplement is a quality-standard food, whether or not it is on a named list, and is filed for a serial number with the same evidence: formula, raw-material quality specifications and product analysis report.
Labels not for consumer sale
Clause 12, as amended by No. 411, allows labels not sold to consumers to be in Thai, or in English for imports, showing the name, serial number, manufacturer or importer and quantity.
Thai FDA supplement warnings
Warnings required on every product
No. 411 set the general warning as four elements:
- the word "Warning" in Thai, 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";
- "has no effect in preventing or curing disease", in bold, inside the box.
Ingredient-specific warnings
The schedule to No. 405 lists ingredient-specific warnings in 20 entries. Examples from the Thai FDA explanatory note:
- bee pollen: warning in red, at least 2 mm high;
- chitosan: take at least two hours apart from fatty products;
- fish oil, evening primrose oil, lecithin: state fatty acid content;
- dietary fibre: take with one to two glasses of water;
- turmeric: not for people with bile duct obstruction;
- aspartame: warn people with phenylketonuria;
- red yeast rice: do not take continuously for more than 4 months (16 weeks);
- chia seeds: no more than 15 g per day;
- plant stanols or sterols: no more than 2 g per day;
- Gymnema inodorum
(ผักเชียงดา): do not take continuously for more than one month.
Look up warnings by ingredient in the substance search, which includes the supplement warning list.
Vitamin limits Thailand supplements: Notification No. 448
Notification No. 448 (2023) revised the vitamin and mineral rules for supplements, listing permitted types and daily maximums in 26 entries, and requiring products positioned as vitamin or mineral sources to provide at least 15% of the Thai RDI. Examples of daily maximums:
| Nutrient | Maximum per day |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 1,000 mg |
| Vitamin D | 15 µg |
| Vitamin A | 800 µg RAE |
| Vitamin B6 | 2 mg |
| Folic acid | 200 µg |
| Calcium | 800 mg |
| Iron | 15 mg |
| Zinc | 15 mg |
| Selenium | 70 µg |
Limits refer to the vitamin or element itself, not the salt weight. The notification took effect around early July 2024, and products authorised under the old criteria may be sold for up to three years from then. Overseas formulas often exceed these limits, especially vitamin D and B6, so screen them with the formula checker.
Restricted wording on labels and in advertising
- No medicine-like claims. The 2024 serial-number regulation lists medicine-like or cosmetic-like label claims and false advertising among the grounds for cancelling a serial number.
- Nutrition claims, such as high calcium, must meet the criteria and trigger a nutrition panel under No. 445; see full vs short Thai nutrition labels.
- Advertising. The 2026 food advertising criteria prohibit implying treatment, relief or prevention of disease, changes to body structure, weight loss or body shaping, and endorsement by medical professionals. Models in supplement ads must be 15 or older and not pregnant. See spotting exaggerated ads.
Importing supplements to Thailand: documents behind the label
The Thai FDA notification on evidence for supplement label approval lists documents importers should prepare early:
- raw-material specifications, such as scientific name, part used, identification method, solvent and extraction ratio for extracts;
- formula, manufacturing process and product specification;
- product analysis from a government or accredited laboratory, for example E. coli below 3 per gram and lead no more than 1 mg/kg;
- for imports, a manufacturing-site certificate and a Certificate of Free Sale.
The 2024 serial-number regulation also requires supplements to submit quality analysis on first manufacture or import. A foreign brand needs a Thai licensed importer to hold the authorisation. Screen documents with the import document checker.
Pre-print checklist
- Name includes "dietary supplement" in Thai, sized per clause 15 of No. 450.
- 13-digit serial number in the Thai FDA frame, digits at least 2 mm high.
- Manufacturer or importer, and country of manufacture for imports.
- Net quantity and tablet or capsule count.
- Key ingredients with amounts, descending.
- Allergens, additives and expiry date.
- The four general warnings plus ingredient-specific warnings.
- Vitamins and minerals within daily limits, and at least 15% Thai RDI if positioned as a source.
- No medicine-like, weight-loss or body-shaping wording.
Check drafts with the label checker, contact our team for an expert label review, or use our registration service for end-to-end filing. For the consumer view, read reading the 13-digit number on supplements.
Frequently asked questions
Do supplement labels also have to follow No. 450?
Yes. No. 450 applies to foods with their own labelling rules, including supplements, alongside Notification No. 293 as amended by Nos. 405 and 411.
Which warnings are mandatory on Thai supplement labels?
The boxed word "Warning" at least 1.5 mm high, plus: children and pregnant women should not consume; eat a variety of foods from all five groups in appropriate proportions regularly; has no effect in preventing or curing disease (bold, in the box).
What is the vitamin C limit for supplements in Thailand?
Under Notification No. 448, the daily maximum for vitamin C is 1,000 mg.
Can a supplement label be in English only?
Consumer labels must be in Thai. Labels not sold to consumers may be in English for imported products, under No. 411.
What documents does an imported supplement need?
For example raw-material specifications, formula, process, accredited laboratory analysis, a manufacturing-site certificate and a Certificate of Free Sale.
Sources
- MOPH Notification No. 450 B.E. 2567 (2024) on labelling of packaged food · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 293 B.E. 2548 (2005) on dietary supplements · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 405 B.E. 2562 (2019), dietary supplements (No. 3) · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 411 B.E. 2562 (2019), dietary supplements (No. 4) · Open source · Search our archive
- Explanatory note on supplement Notifications Nos. 405 and 411 · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 448 B.E. 2566 (2023), dietary supplements (No. 5) · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA notification on evidence for supplement label approval · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA Regulation on food serial numbers B.E. 2567 (2024) · 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.