The Thai government is taking steps to enhance consumer safety by raising standards for importing health products.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin introduced five measures to prevent the entry of substandard and illegal products, aiming to protect consumers from non-compliant goods.
Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke stated that the Prime Minister promoted the elevation of health product import inspections to prevent illegal imports. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been tasked with implementing comprehensive and stringent checks to ensure safety and improve the quality of imported products, thus enhancing public health standards.
Thailand imports a significant number of health products, including food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, and household hazardous substances. These products must be approved or inspected before entering Thailand.
In 2023, 1.69 million health products worth 440 billion baht were imported, and this year, 1.3 million products worth 341 billion baht have been imported so far.
The new measures for inspecting imported health products involve several key strategies. First, importers will be classified into three groups. These are high-quality importers (GIP Plus), regular importers, and high-risk importers, with high-risk importers undergoing rigorous inspections, including product quarantine and sampling.
Second, FDA officers at international airports will randomly inspect passengers’ baggage for health products to ensure they do not exceed the allowed quantity or include illegal items.
Third, health products sent from abroad will be inspected by FDA officers to verify that the contents match the declared items, with legal action taken if discrepancies are found.
Fourth, foreign film productions in Thailand can import health products under special circumstances within 24 hours, but these products must be returned or destroyed within 30 days post-filming.
Lastly, FDA officers will randomly inspect imported health products available for sale, both in stores and online, to ensure compliance with regulations. Any violations, such as missing FDA numbers or incorrect labeling, will result in legal action.
Consumers can report violations to the FDA hotline at 1556, via Line: @FDAThai, Facebook: FDAThai, or email [email protected]. (NNT)
