Thailand Approved Mandatory TIS Standards on Certain Plastic Food Contact Articles

Vol. 1305 | 25 May 2022

The Ministry of Industry of Thailand has published a Ministerial Regulation in the Official Gazette which mandates several Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TIS) standards for certain plastic food contact articles.

This Ministerial Regulation goes into effect on Jan 3, 2023.

In total, 5 standards are listed; 3 apply to all plastic utensils used with food and 2 apply specifically to microwaveable plastic food containers.

Plastic utensils for food

Products must comply with either one of the following TIS 655 standards:

• TIS 655 Part 1-2553 (2010) Plastic Utensils for Food Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, Polyethylene terephthalate, Poly (vinyl alcohol) and Poly (methyl pentene)
• TIS 655 Part 2-2554 (2011) Plastic Utensils for Food Polyvinylchloride, Polycarbonate, Polyamide and Poly (methyl methacrylate)
• TIS 655 Part 3-2554 (2011) Plastic Utensils for Food Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and Styrene-acrylonitrile

These 3 standards define material requirements, test conditions, and labeling requirements for the specific plastic polymer types listed under each standard:

TIS Standard	Plastic Type
TIS 655 Part 1-2553 (2010)	Polyethylene
	Polypropylene
	Polystyrene
	Polyethylene terephthalate
	Poly (vinyl alcohol)
	Poly (methyl pentene)
TIS 655 Part 2-2554 (2011)	Polyvinylchloride
	Polycarbonate
	Polyamide
	Poly (methyl methacrylate)
TIS 655 Part 3-2554 (2011)	Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
	Styrene-acrylonitrile

Plastic food containers for microwave reheating

Products must comply with either one of the following TIS 2493 standards:

• TIS 2493 Part 1-2554 (2011) Plastic food containers for microwave oven for reheating
• TIS 2493 Part 2-2556 (2013) Plastic food containers for microwave oven for single heating

These 2 standards state the test conditions and methods for testing plastic food containers to ensure they are safe for microwave use. In addition, the standard defines the acceptable plastic polymers for each use type:

TIS Standard	Plastic Type
TIS 2493 Part 1-2554 (2011) for reheating	Polyethylene terephthalate
	Polypropylene
	Poly (methyl methacrylate)
	Poly (methyl pentene)
TIS 2493 Part 2-2556 (2013) for single heating	Polyethylene terephthalate
	Polypropylene
	Polystyrene

TIS 2493 Part 1-2554 (2011) includes an Impact test for reusable products, which is not required for single heating products.

The standards also state that only virgin plastic, or plastic reclaimed during manufacture, can be used in the production of microwavable food containers. Post-consumer recycled material is not allowed.

Labeling requirements are also defined in these standards.

As your Total Quality Assurance partner, Intertek offers independent third-party testing and certification solutions to validate food contact article requirements. Contact Intertek for more information on food contact testing programs and regulatory technical support.

For questions, please contact Carl Tso (carl.tso@intertek.com, +852 3760 6364)