8. Safety Parameters
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8. Safety Parameters
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Beers, RTDs, Whisky
Thailand
This section provides the safety parameters (microbiological, contaminants, heavy metals, pesticides, veterinary residues, and food contact materials).
8.1 Microbiological Standards
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Foodstuff/General Food | Comply with MOPH Notification (No.416) BE 2563 (2020) Prescribing the quality or standard, principles, conditions, and methods of analysis for pathogenic microorganisms in foods. [1] For products governed by specific notifications, such as mandatory product standards, that include additional migration criteria beyond those specified in MOPH Notification No. 416, manufacturers must ensure compliance with both sets of requirements. |
Category Alcoholic beverages | Not specified. |
| Product Beer, Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages, and Whisky | Not specified. |
8.2 Contaminants and Heavy Metals
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Foodstuff/General Food | Comply with the MOPH Notification (No. 414) B.E. 2563 Re Standards for Contaminants in Food [2]. Notification No. 414 does not apply to food additives and processing aids, drinking water in sealed containers, and natural mineral water. These products are subject to the contamination limits specified in their respective dedicated regulations. For products governed by specific notifications, such as mandatory product standards, that include additional migration criteria beyond those specified in MOPH Notification No. 414, manufacturers must ensure compliance with both sets of requirements. |
Category Alcoholic beverages | Comply with the Excise Department Announcement: Setting Quality Standards for Liquor Imported into the Kingdom (No. 2) and adhere to any applicable Thai Industrial Standards (TIS) specific to the product [3]. |
| Product Beer | • Arsenic ≤ 0.1 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 986.15, AOAC Section 9.1.01 • Lead ≤ 0.13 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 972.25, AOAC Section 9.2.19 • Copper ≤ 1.5 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 970.18, AOAC Section 28.1.23 • Iron ≤ 1.5 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 970.19, AOAC Section 28.1.24 [3, 4] |
| Product Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages, and Whisky | • Lead (Pb) ≤ 0.1 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 986.15, AOAC Section 9.1.0 • Arsenic (As) ≤ 0.2 mg/L. Testing method: AOAC 972.25, AOAC Section 9.2.19 [3, 5] |
3 According to the Excise Department Announcement - Subject: Setting quality standards for liquor imported into the Kingdom (No. 2), the maximum allowable limit is 0.2 mg/L [3]. Manufacturers are advised to adhere to even stricter criteria.
Note for the testing methods of Alcoholic Beverages [3]
The equivalent test method must meet one of the following criteria:
- The test method is certified in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025.
- The test method is certified according to international (International Organization for Standardization) or regional (Regional Organization Standard) analytical standards.
- For other test methods, they must be submitted to the Director-General for evaluation and approval as equivalent methods. Once approved, the method may be used for analyzing and testing product samples.
When considering an equivalent test method, the list of substances to be tested must be reviewed. The following conditions apply:
- The list of substances must include the required number of items and standard values as per the established standards.
- If the substances tested do not comply with the liquor quality standards outlined by the Director-General, the following procedures must be followed: 2.1) If certain substances are prohibited in the manufacturing country, this must be clearly stated in the liquor sample analysis result certificate or export certificate, indicating that these substances are not allowed in the beer production process. 2.2) If certain substances are permitted in the manufacturing country but are not specified for analysis in the list of substances tested according to their standards, the manufacturing country must confirm in the liquor sample analysis result certificate or export certificate that these substances do not exceed the liquor quality standards set by the Director-General. If such confirmation cannot be provided, the liquor sample must be sent for analysis at one of the following laboratories: 2.2.1) Excise Department laboratories. 2.2.2) Laboratories of the Product and Evidence Analysis Group, Excise Department, or other agencies with laboratories that meet the necessary standards. Analysis must be conducted in laboratories registered with the Excise Department, in compliance with the regulations set by the Director-General, and meeting Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards.
8.3 Pesticides
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Foodstuff/General Food | Comply with the following Notifications: • Ministry of Public Health Notification (No. 387) BE 2560 (2017) Re: Food Containing Pesticide Residues (Pesticide Residues in Food) • Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No.393) BE 2561 (2018) Issued by virtue of the Food Act BE 2522 Re: Food Containing Pesticide Residues (Pesticide Residues in Food) (No.2) • Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No.419) BE 2563 (2020) Issued by virtue of the Food Act BE 2522 Re: Food Containing Pesticide Residues (Pesticide Residues in Food) (No.3) • Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No. 449) BE 2567 (2024) Issued by virtue of the Food Act BE 2522 Re: Food Containing Pesticide Residues (Pesticide Residues in Food) (No.4). [6] Testing methods shall be in accordance with Appendix No. 5 attached to MOPH Notification (No. 387). |
Category Alcoholic beverages | Alcoholic beverages are not assigned a specific Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for pesticides under the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 387 and Codex Guidelines. Therefore, they are subject to the default limit for plants and animals, which must not exceed 0.01 milligrams of residue per kilogram of food, except for the default limits for plants specified in Appendix 2 of Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 387 and its amendments. The 'Default Limit' refers to the permissible amount of residues in food for agricultural hazardous substances that do not have an established MRL, measured in milligrams. [6] |
Product Beer, Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages, and Whisky | Same as the category - alcoholic beverages - above. |
8.4 Veterinary Standards
Provision, Limits, Testing Methods | |
Foodstuff/General Food Category | Comply with the following Notifications: • Notification (No. 303) BE 2550 (2007) Re: Veterinary Drugs Residues in Foods. [7] • Notification (No. 269) BE 2546 (2003) Re: Prescribed Standards for βAgonist Chemicals Group Contamination in Foods. [8] • Notification (No. 299) BE 2549 (2006) Re: Prescribed standards for some chemical contaminations in foods (2nd Edition). [9] Testing methods shall be in accordance with FDA Notification on the criteria, conditions, and methods for testing for contamination of certain chemicals in food. [10] |
Category Alcoholic beverages | Not specified. |
| Product Beer, Alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages, and Whisky | Not specified. |
8.5 Food Contact Materials
Please refer to the other reports on packaging requirements for food contact materials and packaging requirements for food contact materials (hygiene standard) for Thailand.
8.6 References
1. MOPH Notification (No.416) BE2563 (2020) Prescribing the quality or standard, principles, conditions and methods of analysis for pathogenic microorganisms in foods
https://exfood.fda.moph.go.th/law/data/announ_moph/V.English/No.416.pdf
2. Notification of Ministry of Public Health (No. 414) B.E. 2563 Re: Standards for Contaminants in Food
https://exfood.fda.moph.go.th/law/data/announ_moph/V.English/P414_E.pdf
3. Excise Department Announcement - Subject: Setting quality standards for liquor imported into the Kingdom (No. 2)
https://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2563/E/275/T_0025.PDF
4. TIS 2090-2021 beer
https://service.tisi.go.th/tisi-standard-shop/item/tis/5620
5. TIS 2088-2021 Distilled liquor
https://service.tisi.go.th/tisi-standard-shop/item/tis/5566
6. Food Containing Pesticide Residues – consolidated version of 4 notifications No. 387, No. 393, No. 419, No. 449
https://food.fda.moph.go.th/media.php?id=512204332595290112&name=Compi_387.pdf
7. Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No. 303) BE 2550 (2007) Re: Veterinary Drugs Residues in Foods
8. Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No. 269) BE 2546 (2003) Re: Prescribed Standards for β-Agonist Chemicals Group Contamination in Foods
9. Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No. 299) BE 2549 (2006) Re: Prescribed standards for some chemical contaminations in foods (2nd Edition)
10. FDA Notification on the criteria, conditions, and methods for testing for contamination of certain chemicals in food.
https://food.fda.moph.go.th/media.php?id=509483946795474944&name=49_Chemicals.pdf
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