On September 22, 2026, Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA), under the Ministry of Public Health, opened a public consultation on the principles of a draft Ministry of Public Health Notification on hazardous substance labelling under FDA responsibility. Comments are due by October 10, 2026 through the central legal hearing portal (law.go.th), the first of two hearing stages before the draft Notification text is written.
The draft amends the existing hazardous substance labelling framework administered by the Thai FDA, specifically the Ministry of Public Health Notification B.E. 2558 (2015) and its No. 2 (B.E. 2565, 2022). The consultation letter sets out two aims: refresh the labelling criteria for hazardous substances produced, sold or held in Thailand, and introduce voluntary digital labels such as QR codes so consumers can reach product information on a smartphone.
What does the consultation propose, and at what stage is it?
This is a principles-stage hearing, the earliest of two steps under the Legal Development Committee's updated process. Once it closes, the Thai FDA will run a second, separate hearing on the full draft Notification text, and each stage must stay open for at least 30 days. No draft obligation text has been published yet, so the window now is to shape direction before the detailed rules are written.
Two concrete changes are signalled. First, the display criteria for hazardous substance labels placed on the Thai market will be updated. Second, operators may show a digital label, for example a QR code, as an alternative to the physical label, letting consumers access current product information on a smartphone. The digital option is voluntary, not a replacement for the existing label.
Who is in scope, and why the Thai FDA track matters
Thailand splits hazardous substance control by use, not by substance, under the Hazardous Substance Act B.E. 2535 (1992). The Thai FDA is the competent authority for household and public-health chemicals, which is exactly the scope of this Notification. Industrial chemicals fall to the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) and agricultural pesticides to the Department of Agriculture, neither of which is the target here.
| Use category | Competent authority | In this consultation? |
|---|---|---|
| Household and public-health chemicals | Thai FDA | Yes |
| Industrial chemicals | DIW (Ministry of Industry) | No |
| Agricultural pesticides | Department of Agriculture | No |
| POPs and environment | Pollution Control Department | No |
In practice, the consultation addresses manufacturers, importers and sellers of household and public-health chemical products, such as cleaners, disinfectants and household pest-control products, that place goods on the Thai market.
What is the deadline, and what should affected operators do now?
Comments on the principles are due by October 10, 2026. The Thai FDA's Hazardous Substances Control Group invites operators to submit through the central legal portal or the FDA short link, and has posted a query contact at [email protected].
Participating at the principles stage is materially different from waiting for the draft text. Labelling and packaging redesign carries long lead times, and a digital label option, even voluntary, means planning QR-code generation, hosted product information and version control behind it. Shaping the criteria now, before the draft locks obligations, is when input is cheapest to incorporate.
How does this fit Thailand's broader chemicals reform?
Thailand's GHS-based labelling has applied since March 13, 2013 for substances and March 13, 2017 for mixtures, under the Hazard Classification and Communication System of Hazardous Substances B.E. 2555 (2012). This consultation is the first public step to update that FDA-scope labelling regime, and trade press has tracked an anticipated modernization of Thailand's GHS alignment alongside wider chemicals reform.
It is distinct from two related but separate tracks. The Hazardous Substance Act risk-based overhaul, led by DIW and the Ministry of Industry toward OECD accession, is not expected to reach enactment until around 2028. The pending designation of Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 as Type 3 hazardous substances is a DIW listing matter. This Notification is a Thai FDA labelling instrument that moves on its own timeline, and continuous per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces a consultation like this the moment it publishes.
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For affected teams, the immediate steps are clear:
- Confirm whether your products fall under Thai FDA hazardous substance scope (household or public-health chemicals) rather than the DIW industrial track.
- Submit comments on the principles by October 10, 2026 via the central legal portal, flagging any labelling or digital-label practical concerns.
- Brief packaging and regulatory teams to begin scoping QR-code and digital-label infrastructure ahead of the draft-text hearing.
Obsidian follows this FDA labelling track and the wider Thai chemicals reform as they develop.
