Request a Demo
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in January 2026 to analyze the ministerial regulations for paper for food contact use, and was updated on 31 March 2026 to introduce the extension of the implementation timeline.
On March 30, 2026, Thailand submitted an addendum to the WTO announcing a modification to the implementation timeline for Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2568 (2025) on Mandating Paper for Food Contact to Conform with Specific Industrial Standard.
The Thai government proposes to repeal Clause 1 of the 2025 ministerial regulation, which specifies its effective date (22 June 2026), and replace it with the updated enforcement timeline (22 June 2027).
The proposed regulatory change is a timeline extension rather than an adjustment to the technical parameters of the regulation or standard. The extension aims to provide the manufacturers, importers, and other stakeholders with sufficient time to prepare for compliance.
The newly issued draft Ministerial Regulation is currently open for public consultation. Industry stakeholders and trading partners are invited to submit comments within 30 days from 30 March 2026.
WTO Notification: G/TBT/N/THA/604/Add.2
Previous article issued on January 15, 2026:
On January 13, 2026, the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) announced the implementation of two ministerial regulations regarding two specific industrial standards for paper-based food contact materials:
Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2568 (2025) on Mandating Paper for Food Contact to Conform with Specific Industrial Standard
This ministerial regulation mandates that the industrial product 'paper for food contact' shall conform with the requirements specified in TIS 2948-2562 (2019) Paper for Food Contact. This standard specifies the safety requirements for paper, board, and paper containers without colour in paper pulp intended for general food and hot fills of foods, both direct and indirect food contact, that have the potential to migrate substances into the food.
Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2568 (2025) on Mandating Cooking Paper to Conform with Specific Industrial Standard
This ministerial regulation mandates that the industrial product 'paper intended for high-temperature cooking' shall conform with the requirements specified in TIS 3438-2565 (2022) Cooking Paper. This standard specifies type, model, size and capacity, material, chemical migration, specifications, packing, marking and labeling, sampling, hygiene requirements and test method for paper, hard paper, and paper containers made of pure fiber or mixing of pure fiber with non-coloring synthetic fiber, intended to use in contact with food for filtering hot liquid, heating, or cooking under 220 ℃ where there is a possibility of chemical migration into food.
These two ministerial regulations will take effect on June 22, 2026. They were signed by the Minister of Industry on October 21, 2025, and officially released in the Royal Gazette on December 24, 2025. According to the TISI announcement on January 13, 2026, TISI has opened the E-license system, allowing economic operators to submit applications for factory inspections and product testing to demonstrate compliance. Relevant stakeholders in the food contact material supply chain are advised to initiate these compliance procedures promptly via the online portal to ensure uninterrupted market access in Thailand.
