The cabinet has approved amendment of the Food Act of 1979 to help manufacturers of food for export in addition to protecting consumers from food safety hazards.
Nathporn Chatusripitak, an adviser to the minister of the PM's Office, said the amendment aims to enhance approval efficiency, especially of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA has been quite slow in approving applications for food registration, particularly for health products, mainly because of a shortage of experts who handle the product evaluation and inspection, he said.
Under the new Act, the FDA will be allowed to collect a fee from the private sector to hire outside experts to help evaluate and inspect products applying for registration.
The FDA is also empowered to handle the registration of experts and specialised organisations, state units or private organisations that handle the evaluation of the academic papers, analysis, and factory and product inspection.
Mr Nathporn said the amendment also increases the penalty for exaggerated ads that mislead consumers and affect society through their claims. The punishment is now three years in jail, a 300,000 baht fine, or both, up from three years in jail and a 30,000 baht fine.
The punishment rises to five years in jail, a 500,000 baht fine, or both for food contaminated with hazardous substances or blended with drugs, up from two years in jail and a fine of 20,000 baht.
The FDA is also authorised to file lawsuits against food manufacturers that produce food blended with drugs, such as diet pills.
"Coffee blended with weight loss drugs will no longer be allowed," he said. "The ultimate goal of the amendment is to protect consumers and prevent them from food safety hazards."
According to the Food Act, the Public Health Ministry is still in charge of the execution of this law.