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Sealed beverages amendment No. 4 (Notification 473, 2026)

9 min read · Updated 27 Oct 2026

Thai sealed beverage notification 473: what amendment No. 4 is

Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 473 B.E. 2569 (2026) on beverages in sealed containers (No. 4), the Thai sealed beverage notification 473, is the latest amendment to master Notification No. 356 B.E. 2556 (2013). No. 356 sets the quality, standards and label names for drinks sold in bottles, cans, cartons and other sealed containers. No. 473 was signed on 2 September 2026, published in the Royal Gazette (Vol. 143, Special Part 226 Ngor) on 16 September 2026, and took effect the day after publication.

Its preamble explains the purpose plainly: to correct the cross-references to beverage categories that went wrong when category (1) of clause 3 of No. 356 was repealed, which moved the remaining categories up to (1) to (4) under the beverages in sealed containers amendment No. 3.

In short, Notification No. 465 renumbered the beverage categories, but other clauses of the master notification still pointed to the old numbers. No. 473 fixes those references. This article explains what each clause changes, what really changes and what does not, and what beverage makers and importers should check, based on the notification text in our regulation archive.

Background: Notification No. 465 and the four beverage categories

Notification No. 356 of 2013 originally divided beverages in sealed containers into five categories. The first was water with dissolved carbon dioxide or oxygen.

Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 465 B.E. 2568 (2025) on beverages in sealed containers (No. 3) was signed on 28 November 2025, published on 11 December 2025 and took effect on 12 December 2025. Its clause 2 replaced clause 3 with four categories:

1. beverages containing or made from fruits, plants or vegetables, with or without carbon dioxide;
2. beverages containing or made from ingredients other than fruits, plants or vegetables, with or without carbon dioxide;
3. concentrated beverages under (1) or (2) that must be diluted before drinking;
4. dried beverages under (1) or (2).

Carbonated water moved to the drinking water notification

The Food Division's guidance on permits under No. 465 explains that water with dissolved carbon dioxide or oxygen moved to Notification No. 462 B.E. 2568 (2025) on drinking water in sealed containers, which took effect the same day. No. 462 defines drinking water to include carbonated water.

Clause 3 of No. 465 allows producers and importers of carbonated or oxygenated water permitted under No. 356 to keep selling for up to two years from the date No. 465 took effect. The guidance gives the end of that grace period as 12 December 2027.

The side effect was that every remaining category moved up one number. Fruit beverages, formerly category 3(2), became 3(1); beverages from other ingredients, formerly 3(3), became 3(2), and so on.

What Notification No. 473 changes, clause by clause

No. 473 has seven clauses. Clause 1 sets the effective date, and clauses 2 to 7 amend No. 356 as follows:

• Clause 2 repeals item (8.1) of clause 4(8), the yeast and mould limit for the former category 3(1) carbonated water, which is no longer in this notification.
• Clause 3 rewrites items (8.2) to (8.6) to refer to the new category numbers: less than 1 per 1 ml of beverage for categories 3(1) and 3(2) that undergo sterilisation or UHT; less than 100 per 1 ml for the same categories processed by other methods; less than 10 per 1 g for category 3(3) with sterilisation or UHT; less than 100 per 1 g for category 3(3) processed by other methods; and less than 100 per 1 g for category 3(4).
• Clause 4 rewrites clause 5(1) to (3). Category 3(1) beverages must meet the quality or standard for that type of fruit, plant or vegetable accepted by the Thai FDA; concentrated or dried versions must meet the same standard once diluted or dissolved; and dried beverages may contain no more than 6% moisture by weight, or as accepted by the Thai FDA for dried beverages made from plants or vegetables.
• Clause 5 rewrites clause 5(5): category 3(2) beverages using flavourings that contain natural caffeine may contain no more than 15 mg of caffeine per 100 ml.
• Clause 6 rewrites the first paragraph of clause 8 on beverage names on the label, now referring to categories 3(1) to 3(4) (see the naming section below).
• Clause 7 rewrites clause 9: category 3(2) beverages using flavourings with natural caffeine must, in addition to clause 8, show the words “contains caffeine” in letters at least 2 mm high, clearly legible and in the same area as the food name or trademark.

Clause 4(8) of the master notification covers yeast and mould, as the Thai FDA's consolidated version shows, so the figures in clause 3 of No. 473 are the yeast and mould counts allowed in the beverage.

What really changes and what stays the same

Compared with the original text of No. 356, every limit in the amended clauses stays the same: yeast and mould limits of 1, 100, 10, 100 and 100 depending on category and process, caffeine of no more than 15 mg per 100 ml, moisture of no more than 6% for dried beverages, and the label name formats. What changes is the category number each clause refers to.

What changes

• The yeast and mould limit for carbonated water (8.1) is removed from the beverage notification, because that water now falls under drinking water Notification No. 462.
• Every clause that referred to 3(2), 3(3), 3(4) and 3(5) now refers to 3(1), 3(2), 3(3) and 3(4), matching the new categories under No. 465.

What stays the same

• The quality and standard figures and label name formats manufacturers already use.
• Other requirements of No. 356 that No. 473 does not touch, such as the coliform limit, the requirement that E. coli is not found, and total alcohol of no more than 0.5% by weight, as shown in the Thai FDA consolidated version.
• Clause 10 of the master notification, under which it does not apply to beverages made for export.

Warning for caffeine-added beverages

Clause 7 of No. 473 rewrites clause 9, and the new text only covers the words “contains caffeine”. The consolidated version the Thai FDA prepared after No. 473 still shows the second paragraph of clause 9 added by Notification No. 402: other caffeine-added beverages must carry the warning “do not drink more than 2 … a day” in solid red letters inside a white box. Makers of caffeine-added drinks should check their warning against the latest Thai FDA consolidated version and should not drop the warning on their own without confirmation.

Who is affected and what to do

For most beverage makers and importers, No. 473 creates no new limit, but documents and labels that refer to beverage categories must now match the new numbers. By group:

Producers and importers of carbonated water or soda water

This group is directly affected by Nos. 465 and 462. The Food Division guidance says that where the food serial number was issued electronically (form Sor Bor 5/1), the system changes the food type automatically. Holders of paper-based numbers must notify an update of the food type, attaching a letter of intent, a copy of the premises licence and a copy of the certificate. If the food name does not follow No. 462, for example “carbonated water beverage”, they must file an amendment request (form Sor Bor 8) to rename it “carbonated water” or “soda water”. All of this must be done before the grace period ends on 12 December 2027.

Fruit, plant and vegetable beverage producers

Quality criteria and label name formats are unchanged, but internal documents such as product specifications, quality control plans and test reports that refer to “category 3(2)” should be updated to “category 3(1)” to match the notification.

Producers of beverages with flavourings containing natural caffeine

These beverages are now category 3(2). They must still contain no more than 15 mg of caffeine per 100 ml and show “contains caffeine” at least 2 mm high near the food name or trademark.

Producers of concentrated and dried beverages

Concentrates are now category 3(3) and dried beverages 3(4). Yeast and mould limits per gram and the moisture limit for dried beverages are unchanged, but check that test reports cite the right category.

To test products against the microbiological or caffeine limits, see our lab testing service. For an expert review of a beverage's category, formula and label before printing, contact our team.

Thai fruit juice naming rules under the new clause 8

Clause 8 requires beverage labels to follow the general labelling notification, except for the names of beverages made from fruit juice and beverages with synthetic fruit flavour or taste, which must use these formats:

• “… juice 100%” for beverages containing or made only from fruit.
• “… juice 100% from … concentrate” for beverages made by diluting fruit concentrate with water to the same quality as pure fruit juice.
• “… juice …%” for beverages containing 20% fruit or more by weight.
• “… flavoured juice …%” (Thai: nam rot) for beverages containing less than 20% fruit by weight.
• “… flavoured sweet drink” (Thai: nam wan klin) for category 3(2) beverages with synthetic fruit flavour or taste.
• Concentrates (3(3)) use the names above without the fruit percentage, add the word “concentrated” after the name, and show “when diluted contains … juice …%” below it.
• Dried beverages (3(4)) use the names above without the fruit percentage and show “when dissolved contains … juice …%” below the name.

The blanks are filled with the fruit name and, where the format requires it, the percentage. All these formats are the same as before; only the category numbers changed.

For consumers, the rule makes beverage names easy to read: the Thai word for “flavoured juice” signals less than 20% fruit, and “flavoured sweet drink” signals a synthetic fruit flavour.

Nutrition label for beverages and the GDA label: what does not change

No. 473 does not touch nutrition labelling. Beverages in sealed containers still follow the existing nutrition label notifications:

• GDA label. Notification No. 394 (2018) lists beverages in sealed containers among the 13 food groups that must show a nutrition label and energy, sugar, fat and sodium in GDA format. The current GDA format follows Notification No. 466 (2025), which shows values per whole package.
• Nutrition panel. This follows Notification No. 445 (2023) and No. 467 (2025), for example a white panel background and minimum font sizes. Annex 2 of No. 445 sets the reference serving size for beverages from vegetables, fruits and others at 200 ml.

Manufacturers who need to change labels because of the name rules or the “contains caffeine” text should check the nutrition panel and GDA label in the same print run. Read nutrition label amendment No. 467 and GDA labels in Thailand, or check mandatory label text with our label checker.

Checklist for beverage manufacturers and importers

1. Identify which of the four new categories under No. 465 your product falls into.
2. For water with carbon dioxide or oxygen, confirm it has moved to No. 462 and that the food name is correct before 12 December 2027.
3. Update category numbers in specifications, quality control plans and test reports.
4. Check yeast and mould limits for your category and process (sterilisation or UHT, or other methods).
5. Beverages with flavourings containing natural caffeine: no more than 15 mg per 100 ml, and “contains caffeine” at least 2 mm high.
6. Other caffeine-added beverages: check the warning against the latest Thai FDA consolidated version.
7. Fruit beverage names on the label match the formats in clause 8.
8. Nutrition panel and GDA label follow Nos. 445, 467 and 466.

No. 473 is a good example of a notification that looks minor, but if you skip it, your company documents will cite category numbers that no longer match current law. Reading notifications alongside the Thai FDA consolidated version gives the full picture of the rules actually in force.

Sources

1. MOPH Notification No. 473 B.E. 2569 (2026) on beverages in sealed containers (No. 4) · Open source · Search our archive
2. MOPH Notification No. 465 B.E. 2568 (2025) on beverages in sealed containers (No. 3) · Open source · Search our archive
3. MOPH Notification No. 356 B.E. 2556 (2013) on beverages in sealed containers · Open source · Search our archive
4. Beverages in sealed containers: consolidated text of No. 356 as amended up to No. 473 (Thai FDA) · Open source · Search our archive
5. MOPH Notification No. 402 B.E. 2562 (2019) on beverages in sealed containers (No. 2) · Open source · Search our archive
6. Food Division guidance on product permits under Notification No. 465 (2025) · Open source · Search our archive
7. MOPH Notification No. 462 B.E. 2568 (2025) on drinking water in sealed containers · Open source · Search our archive
8. MOPH Notification No. 445 B.E. 2566 (2023) on nutrition labelling · Open source · Search our archive
9. MOPH Notification No. 467 B.E. 2568 (2025) on nutrition labelling (No. 2) · Open source · Search our archive
10. MOPH Notification No. 394 (2018) on foods requiring nutrition and GDA labelling · Open source · Search our archive
11. MOPH Notification No. 466 B.E. 2568 (2025) on foods requiring nutrition and GDA labelling (No. 3) · 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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