. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/THA/5
26 January 2001
(01-0423)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THAILAND
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ministry of Public Health
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   HS Chapter 0902,
ICS: 67.140.10 (Tea)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Notification of the
Ministry of Public Health (No…), B.E.2543(2000) Tea (4 pages, available in
Thai language)
6. Description of content:
The Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No.58) B.E.2524(1981) Tea dated
29 May B.E.2524(1981) is withdrawn. Good Manufacturing Practice shall be applied forthe production of tea.  In addition, this ministerial notification prescribes the following
items:
(1) Classification of tea:
-T e a ;
- Instant tea;
- Ready-to-drink tea (liquid and powder type).
(2) Quality or standards, i.e. humidity, total ash, water soluble ash, hot water extract,
content of caffeine, free from toxic microo rganisms, toxin from microorganisms in the
content which may be harmful to health.
(3) Permissible limits of preservative agents, i.e. sulphur dioxide not exceeding
70 mg/1 kg of ready-to-drink tea, benzoic acid or zorbic acid or their salts not exceeding
200 mg/1 kg of ready-to-drink tea.
(4) Permissible limits of contaminants, i.e. arsenic, lead, copper, zinc, iron, tin and
sulphur dioxide not exceeding 0.2, 0.5, 5, 5, 15, 250 and 10 mg/1 kg of ready-to-drink
tea respectively.G/TBT/N/THA/5
Page 2
(5) Containers.
(6) Labelling.
Licenses for food registration or food labelling issued prior to the enforcement of this
ministerial notification will be valid for 2 years.
Producers or importers who received licenses pr ior to the enforcement of this ministerial
notification must apply for licenses within one year after this ministerial notification comes
into force.  Upon submitting the application, th e former labels can still be valid for 2 years.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Consumer protection
8. Relevant documents:
Publication in which the Notification is published when adopted:
- Government Gazette
9. Proposed date of adoption:  19 September 2000
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from the WTO circulation date
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:           