Thailand opens consultation on a GMP notification for cell-cultured food; comments close 9 October

This is not a notification in force

On 15 September 2026 the Thai FDA Food Division published a draft (ร่าง) ministerial notification and opened it for comment. Its subject is manufacturing methods, the equipment used in manufacture, and storage for food obtained from animal cell culture.

One point first. This is a consultation on a draft, not a rule in force, and it is a separate matter from approval to sell cell-cultured food in Thailand. No notification number and no effective date exist yet. Comments go through Thailand's central legal system portal (ระบบกลางทางกฎหมาย) until 9 October 2026.

The FDA's stated reason is that cell-culture food technology is moving into commercial production in several countries. Cultivating and expanding cells into tissue or product is a different exercise from conventional animal food processing, and it carries risks specific to the process: aseptic control, the quality of the starting cells, culture media, chemicals and biological materials, specialised equipment, and control of the manufacturing environment.

Five things the draft sets out

• A definition. It fixes the meaning of "food obtained from animal cell culture" so that products of that process are covered.
• A dedicated GMP. Manufacturers must follow the cell-cultured-food GMP in the annex, covering the design of buildings and premises, machinery and equipment, process control, sanitation and personnel.
• Rules for the culture process itself. Control of starting cells, establishment of a cell bank, cell expansion and differentiation, use of bioreactors, aseptic control, and testing for residues.
• A qualified production supervisor. Premises must appoint a production supervisor who meets an educational requirement and has completed a training course listed by the FDA, to keep manufacture within the law.
• Evidence from importers. It sets criteria for assessing manufacturing premises, and requires importers to hold a manufacturing-system certificate equivalent to or better than the annex criteria.

Read the importer clause first

The fifth point is the one that reaches foreign brands most directly. If Thailand moves towards allowing imports of cell-cultured food, the gate will not be the product dossier — it will be whether the overseas manufacturer's system certificate is equivalent to the Thai criteria. In practice that means the certificate's scope has to cover the culture process and the food type in question, which is the same structure Thailand already applies to conventional food.

Cell banking and traceability of starting cells are worth a second look too. These are not items an existing food GMP file answers, so a manufacturer running a culture process can usefully compare its current records against what the draft asks for.

What is not yet established

The notice explains the principles only; the full draft and its annexes sit inside the consultation system. The specific educational requirement for production supervisors, the scope of the listed training courses, which manufacturing-system certificates will be accepted, and the numerical criteria for aseptic and residue control are not determinable from this notice. Those need the full text.

If you intend to comment, the date to move into the calendar now is 9 October 2026.