Nutrikonverter Guide
Do You Actually Need a Nutrition or GDA Label in Thailand?
5 min read
Last checked against the Ministry of Public Health's official notices: September 2026
Before you worry about grams, percentages, or label design, there's a more basic question: does your product need a nutrition label at all? In Thailand the answer is not always yes. It depends on two tests set out in Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 445 and Notification No. 394 (as amended). This guide walks through both in plain language.
This is a plain-language starting point, written for someone learning this for the first time, based on a direct reading of the official notifications. It is not legal advice and does not replace the official notification text or guidance from the Thai FDA (อย.). Before deciding your product doesn't need a label, confirm against the official notification or a regulatory consultant.
The two-question test
Question 1
Are you making any claim?
A nutrition claim, a health claim, or marketing that references nutrient content or health value
Yes → full nutrition label required
Question 2
Is your product in one of 13 categories?
Snacks, bakery, instant noodles, ready meals, beverages, tea/coffee, milk products, soy milk, ice cream
Yes → nutrition label AND GDA graphic required
Both "no"?
Labeling is currently voluntary for your product. Many producers add one anyway for buyer trust or export requirements.
1. Test one: are you making a claim?
Notification 445, Clause 3 sets the base rule. A nutrition label becomes mandatory the moment your product does any of the following: carries a nutrition claim ("low sugar," "high protein"), carries a health claim ("supports digestion"), or the marketing leans on nutrient content or health value to sell the product. Even putting a nutrient number in the product name counts.
This applies to any kind of food. A home-made jam with no claims on it doesn't trigger this test. The same jam labeled "low sugar" does: once you print that word, you need the full nutrition panel to back it up.
2. Test two: are you in one of the 13 mandatory categories?
Separately from claims, Notification 394 (2018, with its format updated by Notifications 446 and 466) designates 13 specific product categories that must carry a nutrition label and the GDA (Guideline Daily Amounts) graphic, the four-cylinder format showing energy, sugar, fat, and sodium, no matter what the packaging says.
If your product type is on this list, the label is required even with zero claims on the package. See the categories below.
The 13 mandatory categories
Snacks
Chips, popped/fried corn, rice crackers, roasted nuts & seeds, fried seaweed, meat snacks
Chocolate
Chocolate and chocolate-flavored products
Bakery
Crackers, biscuits, filled wafers, cookies, cakes, pies & pastries
Semi-processed
Instant noodles/vermicelli with seasoning packet, seasoned rice or congee
Ready meals
Chilled or frozen ready-to-eat single-dish meals
Beverages
Fruit/plant/vegetable drinks, other ready-to-drink beverages, liquid or powder
Tea & coffee
Ready-to-drink tea and coffee, liquid or powder
Milk products
Flavored milk, fermented milk, other milk products, soy milk
Ice cream
Ready-to-eat ice cream
3. What if you're outside both tests?
If your product makes no claims and isn't in one of the 13 categories, a nutrition label is currently voluntary under Thai regulation. Plenty of producers add one anyway: retailers increasingly expect it, export markets often require it, and a clean label signals professionalism to buyers.
4. Exemptions worth knowing about
Even if your product would otherwise be covered, a few situations are carved out entirely: food sold directly by the person who made it straight to the consumer (a home cook selling at a market stall, for example, but not food distributed through retail), and food that already has its own dedicated nutrient-declaration notification (infant formula and specialized medical foods, for example, follow separate rules).
There's also a practical exception for very small packaging: products under 65 cm² of front label space that can't fit the panel can use the FDA's "Nutrition Detective" mobile app plus a point-of-sale display instead. A producer can still print the full label if they prefer.
5. If a label is required: what's the format?
Products triggering test one (claims) need the full nutrition facts panel, following the format set out in Notification 445. Products triggering test two (the 13 categories) need both the nutrition panel and the GDA graphic, the four connected cylinders for energy, sugar, fat, and sodium, currently governed by Notification 466's updated visual format. Categories 1 through 3 (snacks, chocolate, bakery) also have to carry the line "should eat a small amount and exercise for good health" in bold, contrasting lettering.
Once you know a label is required, the next step is getting the numbers right for your serving size. The calculator on this site is built for that.
Know you need a label? Build it in minutes.
Enter your nutrient values once and get a print-ready Nutrition Facts or GDA label in Thai and English.
Open the calculatorNeed real lab-tested numbers, not just a calculation? See our lab analysis coordination service