In April 2022, the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) officially published five standards concerning plastic utensils and microwaveable plastic containers that will go into effect January 3, 2023. Three regulations pertain to plastic utensils used for food preparation, storage, or consumption as well as defining the materials and safety standards for single-use and reuse under different application scenarios for different polymers. The second two regulations establish similar standards for plastic bags made of virgin plastics and for microwavable plastic bags.
The standards outline which additives are allowed, migration limits for heavy metals, and certain volatile substances for each polymer type and use condition. They also specify how packaging materials must be marked to demonstrate compliance. Unmarked plastic packaging that falls under the new standards will not be allowed on the market or to be imported within Thailand.
TISI informed the World Trade Organization of the pending changes in June of 2021, though at the time TISI was unsure of when the rules would be posted or come into force (FPF reported). Thailand is working on turning previously voluntary food packaging guidelines into national regulations (FPF reported).
Reference
TISI “List of compulsory standards.” (in Thai)
