On September 15, 2026, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) opened a public consultation period on the principles of a proposed Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) notification establishing specific Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements for foods derived from cultured animal cells. The proposal would build on Thailand’s existing safety assessment framework by proposing GMP requirements specifically tailored to the production of cultivated meat.

As cultivated meat advances toward commercial production, its unique manufacturing processes present food safety challenges involving aseptic conditions, starting cell quality, culture media, and specialized equipment. Thailand’s Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) provides the legal basis for regulating food manufacturing, but no GMP requirements specifically tailored to cultivated meat have been issued under it. The proposed framework aims to address this gap.

The Thai FDA has not yet released a complete draft notification, so the proposed requirements outlined below may change before adoption. However, they indicate the direction the regulator intends to take, and companies preparing to enter the Thai market can use them now to anticipate their compliance obligations.

What Is Cultivated Meat?

Cultivated meat, also known as cell-based food or cell-cultured meat (and referred to in the proposed notification as food derived from cultured animal cells), is produced by cultivating animal cells rather than raising and slaughtering animals through conventional meat production.

The process generally begins with the selection of animal cells or stem cells, which are cultivated in an appropriate culture medium within a bioreactor to promote cell growth and proliferation. Scaffolding materials or other techniques may subsequently be used to develop cells into tissue or other forms suitable for consumption.

Unlike conventional meat production, this process introduces specific food safety considerations relating to starting cells, culture media, production substances, contamination controls, and potential residues in the final product.

Thailand’s Safety Assessment Framework

Companies intending to introduce cultivated meat into the Thai market should first consider the applicable novel food requirements under MOPH Notification No. 376 B.E. 2559 (2016), as amended, together with the relevant safety assessment and authorization procedures.

The safety assessment process involves submitting a technical safety dossier to the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) for evaluation. Once the assessment is completed, the resulting safety assessment report must be submitted to the Thai FDA for its consideration and final regulatory decision. BIOTEC’s assessment therefore forms part of the regulatory process but does not, by itself, constitute authorization to market the product in Thailand.

In April 2024, BIOTEC published its Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Cultured Animal Cells, establishing a technical framework specifically addressing the safety of these products.

The guidelines cover several key areas:

• Cell lines: Identity, origin, selection, development, and cell banking, including infectious agent controls and cell stability.
• Culture media and production substances: Composition, purity, and safety of growth promoters, antimicrobial substances, scaffolding materials, and processing aids.
• Manufacturing processes: Cell cultivation, aseptic processing, contamination prevention, and food safety management systems, including GMP and Good Cell Culture Practices (GCCP).
• Final-product safety: Product specifications, contaminants, residues, nutritional composition, genetic stability, toxicology, and allergenicity.

Under the proposed guidelines, safety assessment reports prepared by foreign food safety authorities may be submitted as supporting information—but not as a substitution for the Thai process. Companies should therefore not assume that authorization in another jurisdiction would satisfy Thailand’s regulatory requirements.

Proposed GMP Requirements for Cultivated Meat

Although BIOTEC’s guidelines already address manufacturing information as part of the safety assessment, the Thai FDA is now considering dedicated manufacturing requirements for foods derived from cultured animal cells.

The principles released for public consultation would establish specific GMP requirements covering facility design, manufacturing equipment, production controls, sanitation, and personnel.

The proposed requirements would also address controls specific to animal cell cultivation, including starting cells and cell banks, bioreactors, aseptic conditions, and residue monitoring.

Manufacturing facilities would also need to appoint qualified production supervisors who meet specified educational and training requirements.

For imported products, the proposed principles could have significant consequences, as importers would be required to provide documentation demonstrating that overseas manufacturing systems meet standards equivalent to, or no less stringent than, the proposed Thai requirements.

The precise requirements and procedures for demonstrating manufacturing equivalence will need to be assessed once a complete draft notification and any accompanying implementation guidance become available.

Key Considerations for Market Entry

Manufacturers and importers planning to commercialize cultivated meat in Thailand should consider three key regulatory areas.

1. Product safety assessment

Companies should determine the regulatory status of their products and assess the completeness of their scientific documentation before submitting a safety dossier to BIOTEC.

Particular attention should be given to cell-line information, culture-media composition, manufacturing processes, and final-product safety data. Following BIOTEC’s assessment, the resulting report must be submitted to the Thai FDA for its final consideration.

2. Manufacturing readiness

Manufacturers should review their existing production controls and monitor the development of Thailand’s proposed GMP requirements.

Foreign manufacturers should pay particular attention to the potential need to demonstrate that their manufacturing systems meet standards equivalent to, or no less stringent than, Thailand’s requirements if the proposed principles are adopted.

3. Finished-product compliance

A favorable safety assessment covers the cultivated meat or cultivated ingredient itself, not the food product that contains it. Companies should not assume that a positive assessment clears the finished food product to be marketed in Thailand.

Companies must also consider the applicable food category, product authorization requirements, quality standards, and labeling requirements.

BIOTEC’s guidelines recognize that cultivated meat does not necessarily need to have the same nutritional composition as conventional meat. Nevertheless, the resulting food product must comply with the applicable Thai FDA quality or product standards for its particular food category.

Looking Ahead

The proposed GMP framework would be a notable development in its regulatory approach to cultivated meat, extending the focus beyond product safety assessment to manufacturing controls specifically tailored to animal cell cultivation.

Companies considering Thailand as a manufacturing base or export market should begin regulatory planning early and should consider taking three interconnected actions: preparing a comprehensive safety dossier for BIOTEC’s assessment and the Thai FDA’s subsequent consideration, reviewing manufacturing systems against the proposed GMP principles, and ensuring that finished products meet applicable Thai food regulatory requirements. Companies with an interest in the Thai market should also monitor the Thai FDA’s consultation and consider submitting comments on the proposed principles before the consultation period closes on October 9, 2026.