Exporters

Exporting canned and hermetically sealed food from Thailand

10 min read · Updated 10 Nov 2026

Export canned food from Thailand: what Thai law checks

To export canned food from Thailand, or other food in hermetically sealed containers, a business passes three layers on the Thai side. First, the production site must be licensed under the Food Act B.E. 2522. Second, the plant must follow MOPH Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563, whose Specific Requirement 3 covers low-acid and acidified foods sterilised by heat. Third, there are the certificates the Thai FDA or other agencies issue for the destination country.

Canned food carries a risk most processed foods do not. If sterilisation falls short or a seal leaks, toxin-forming Clostridium botulinum can grow in the airless container. The rules are therefore strictest on heat processing and sealing.

This article covers the new Notification No. 469 of 2026, which containers count as hermetically sealed, GMP 420 Specific Requirement 3, and the export documents foreign buyers usually ask for. For processed food exports in general, see exporting processed food from Thailand.

Thai canned food export and Notification No. 469 of 2026

MOPH Notification No. 469 B.E. 2569 on food in hermetically sealed containers was published in the Government Gazette on 18 May 2026, took effect the next day, and repealed Notification No. 355 of 2013. Clause 3 makes this food a quality or standard-prescribed food.

Clause 4 defines food in hermetically sealed containers as food processed by heat to destroy or inhibit microorganisms, before or after filling or sealing, including similar foods with pH above 4.6 and water activity above 0.85, packed in metal or other air-tight material and storable at ambient temperature. Thai FDA guidance summarises that the new notification covers only low-acid and acidified types; acid types or those with water activity of 0.85 or less moved to other groups.

Main requirements

• Low-acid food must contain no microorganisms able to grow during storage at ambient temperature (Clause 6).
• Producers of low-acid food choose one route: heat processing to an F0 of at least 3 minutes, backed by heat distribution and heat penetration studies at that site, or acidifying to pH 4.6 or below (Clause 8).
• Metal containers must have no lead, rust or paint inside, must be tin-coated or coated to prevent direct food contact with iron, and must not leak or swell (Clause 9).
• Producers and importers must follow GMP (Clause 11), and labels must show drained weight for foods with separable solids (Clause 12).

Clause 13: not applicable to food produced for export

Clause 13 states that Notification No. 469 does not apply to food in hermetically sealed containers produced for export. This exempts only Notification No. 469, not other food laws. The site still needs a licence under Section 14, and GMP 420 has no exemption for export goods. The product standard that actually applies will be the destination country's or the buyer's specification.

For the full Notification No. 469, see hermetically sealed food: Notification No. 469.

Hermetically sealed food Thailand: which containers count

Cans are only one example. The Food Division criteria for hermetically sealed containers, revision 1 of 26 May 2026, set four properties: once sealed, the container does not leak, seep or crack and keeps out microbes, water and air; it can be sealed tightly; it withstands heat sterilisation; and it does not react with the food.

Accepted containers include:

• Metal cans, tins or plastic cups closed with a double-seamed metal lid
• Glass jars or bottles closed with metal or plastic caps that have a gasket, liner or plastisol
• Linerless plastic-capped glass bottles with a plug seal, or with the mouth heat-sealed with film or aluminium foil
• Retortable pouches, cups, trays or plastic bottles that withstand heat and pressure
• Bag-in-box and laminated cartons used with aseptic processing and packaging systems

Thai FDA slides on container types under Notification No. 469 add that heat-sealed plastic pouches or cups count only where the food is heat-sterilised after sealing. Exporters who change packaging at a buyer's request should check this first, because a new container can change both the food group and the rules that apply.

GMP 420 Specific Requirement 3: the core of a canning plant

Specific Requirement 3 applies to low-acid and acidified foods in hermetically sealed containers heat-processed to commercial sterility. The key points are:

Validating the thermal process

For post-fill sterilisation, the plant needs study reports by a Process Authority on two things: temperature distribution in the retort, studied on site when a retort is installed or equipment changes; and heat penetration in the product, repeated for new products, recipe changes, or changes in container type or size. Low-acid food must reach an F0 of at least 3 minutes with Clostridium botulinum spores as the target. Foods that rely on inhibiting spore germination, for example by controlling pH or water activity, must be heated at least to pasteurisation level.

The Scheduled Process

Every process needs a written Scheduled Process naming the critical factors, such as container type and size, pH, formula, food additives, water activity and storage temperature. These must be at least as strict as in the Process Authority's report.

The Process Authority

The Process Authority needs at least a bachelor's degree in food science, food technology, food engineering, agro-industry or a field with food processing fundamentals, must have passed a course from the Thai FDA or a listed training unit, and needs ongoing experience with the food group studied.

In-process control

• Control and record critical factors, such as fill weight, headspace, initial temperature, and sterilisation time and temperature, with accurate instruments.
• Inspect seams visually at least every 30 minutes and test seal integrity at least every 4 hours, or as output requires, with records.
• Act on products when a process deviation occurs, and verify production and sterilisation records.

Clause 4 of Notification No. 420 also requires these producers to have a production controller trained on the prescribed course. The Thai FDA course structure has a combined low-acid and acidified course, an aseptic course and an acidified course. For the five basic sections, see GMP 420 requirements and audit criteria.

Production licence and food serial number for export

Section 14 of the Food Act prohibits setting up a food factory for sale without a licence. Producing for export is still producing for sale, so an exporter that manufactures needs a licence or site number first. An exporter that uses a contract manufacturer must check that the plant's licence covers the food type and process ordered.

On the product side, food sold both in Thailand and abroad needs a food serial number under the notification for that food. New low-acid or acidified products file food registration (form Sor.Bor.5) under Thai FDA guidance for Notification No. 469, while existing products approved under Notification No. 355 keep their numbers under Clause 14.

Export-only goods may have no Thai serial number, which affects the certificates available, as the next section explains. Decide early whether you will also sell in Thailand.

Canned food export certificates the Thai FDA can issue

The Thai FDA citizen's manual on certificates for food export lists three types:

• Certificate of Manufacturer, for the production site
• Certificate of Free Sale, confirming the product may be sold in Thailand
• Certificate of Ingredient, which requires a full 100% formula

The licence must be valid and not suspended, and the product must have a food serial number. For export-only products without a serial number, the applicant must show the formula, product details and production process, and to state legal GMP compliance the site must be inspected by a registered inspection body. Applications go through e-Submission, and certificates are issued electronically.

Buyers also often ask for a food production system certificate under the 2021 Thai FDA notification, issued by a certification body listed with the Thai FDA. It is valid for 3 years from signature, notes Excellence Level where the total score is at least 85 percent, and its mark may not appear on product labels. For details on each certificate, see Thai food export health certificates.

Destination countries and plant registration: the China example

Many countries require foreign plants to register before food can enter. The Thai FDA has published guidance for China: the General Administration of Customs (GACC) issued Decree 280 on 14 October 2025, effective 1 June 2026, replacing Decree 248.

Some food types must register through the producing country's competent authority. In Thailand that depends on the food type: the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Livestock Development, the Department of Fisheries, or the Thai FDA. The Thai FDA handles two groups, special purpose foods and functional foods. Canned meat or seafood may therefore go through an agency other than the Thai FDA. Check which group your product falls in before filing.

Other countries have their own systems and may ask for different documents. The safest approach is to have the importer confirm the document list in writing before accepting the order, then match it against what Thai agencies can issue.

Canned food exporter Thailand: contract manufacturing or own plant

Many canned food exporters have no plant of their own and use a manufacturer that already has retorts and a Process Authority. This starts faster, but the exporter must check the plant thoroughly, because foreign buyers ask the exporter the same questions.

Documents to request from a contract manufacturer:

• A food production licence covering the food type and process
• Temperature distribution reports for the retort to be used, and heat penetration reports for the ordered product and container size
• The product's Scheduled Process
• Qualifications of the Process Authority and the production controller
• Seam inspection records and process deviation records
• A valid production system certificate whose scope covers the product

If the buyer asks for a recipe or container change, Specific Requirement 3 calls for new heat penetration work. Build this step into the plan and do not commit to the buyer before the plant confirms.

Checklist before accepting a canned food export order

Use the checklist below before confirming the first order. If you want consultants to assess the plant first, see our factory setup and GMP service, and to plan product testing see our testing and laboratory service.

If the product is a beverage in a sealed container rather than canned food, check the separate beverage notification, whose latest amendment is summarised in sealed beverages amendment No. 473.

Sources

1. MOPH Notification No. 469 B.E. 2569 (2026) on food in hermetically sealed containers · Open source · Search our archive
2. Thai FDA guideline on product licensing under Notification No. 469 B.E. 2569 · Open source · Search our archive
3. Thai FDA briefing slides on Notification No. 469 B.E. 2569 (25 May 2026) · Open source · Search our archive
4. Thai FDA criteria for hermetically sealed containers · Open source · Search our archive
5. Thai FDA slides: container types that count as hermetically sealed under Notification No. 469 (26 May 2026) · Open source · Search our archive
6. MOPH Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563 (2020) on production methods, equipment and food storage · Open source · Search our archive
7. Course structure for production controllers of low-acid and acidified foods in hermetically sealed containers · Open source · Search our archive
8. Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) · Open source · Search our archive
9. Thai FDA citizen's manual: certificates of manufacturer and products for food export · Open source · Search our archive
10. Thai FDA notification on issuing food production system certificates under legal criteria B.E. 2564 (2021) · Open source · Search our archive
11. Thai FDA guidance on registering food manufacturers exporting to China under GACC Decree 280 · Open source · Search our archive

This article is for general information. It is not a Thai FDA ruling or legal advice, and rules change — check the latest notification or ask an expert before filing or producing.

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