Vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements: what really changes under the new Thai FDA guidance
The Thai Food and Drug Administration has issued a new announcement consolidating and updating the official lists of vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements and other food products.
Despite early reactions, this is not deregulation.
It is a technical consolidation aimed at clearly separating standard, compliant formulations from those that require additional food safety assessment.
For manufacturers and brand owners, vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements are no longer a secondary formulation detail, but a front-line regulatory decision.
Thai FDA guidance on vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements
The announcement establishes a clear regulatory principle:
- When applying for a dietary supplement registration, vitamin and mineral forms listed in Schedule 1 can be used without prior safety verification or assessment.
- Any vitamin or mineral form not included in Schedule 1 automatically triggers a food safety assessment, with direct impact on:
- approval timelines
- regulatory cost
- uncertainty and exposure
The key point is not the nutrient itself, but its exact chemical form.
Vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements vs infant and young children foods
For the following categories:
- infant formula and follow-on formula
- infant foods
- supplementary foods for infants and young children
the Thai FDA confirms zero flexibility.
Only vitamin and mineral forms explicitly permitted for those categories may be used.
Non-compliance results in automatic rejection, regardless of international precedents or market practice elsewhere.
Why Thailand aligns with the EU model on vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements
This announcement reinforces a trend observed for years:
Thailand is structurally aligning its regulation of vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements with the EU framework, not with the US DSHEA model.
This means:
- positive lists of permitted forms
- strong focus on chemical identity
- separation between standard ingredients and those requiring safety dossiers
Using the US market as a regulatory benchmark for Thailand is increasingly misaligned with reality.
Regulatory impact for manufacturers using vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements
Following this update:
- ingredient form selection becomes a strategic regulatory choice
- accurate chemical naming is mandatory
- Certificates of Analysis (COA) must clearly match the approved form
- “creative” or unconventional forms remain possible, but at a significantly higher regulatory cost
Product classification, dosage limits, claims, and target population remain separate regulatory dimensions and are not affected by this announcement.
Vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements: regulatory simplicity starts at formulation level
The Thai FDA is not asking for more paperwork.
It is asking for discipline at formulation stage.
Companies that structure vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements correctly from the outset:
- reduce regulatory friction
- shorten approval timelines
- avoid unnecessary safety assessments
Schedule 1 – Approved forms of vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements
Below is the official Schedule 1 listing the vitamin and mineral forms permitted for use in dietary supplements without prior safety assessment, as referenced in the Thai FDA Announcement dated 17 November 2025.
Vitamin A
- Retinol
- Retinyl acetate
- Retinyl palmitate
- Beta-carotene
- Mixed carotenoids
Vitamin D
- Cholecalciferol
- Ergocalciferol
Vitamin E
- D-alpha-tocopherol
- DL-alpha-tocopherol
- D-alpha-tocopheryl acetate
- DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate
- D-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate
- DL-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate
- Mixed tocopherols
- Tocotrienols
- Gamma-tocopherol
Vitamin K
- Phylloquinone
- Menaquinone
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
- Thiamine hydrochloride
- Thiamine mononitrate
- Thiamine monophosphate chloride
- Thiamine pyrophosphate chloride
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- Riboflavin
- Riboflavin 5’-phosphate (sodium)
Niacin (Vitamin B3)
- Nicotinic acid
- Nicotinamide
- Inositol hexanicotinate
- Inositol hexaniacinate
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
- Calcium D-pantothenate
- Sodium D-pantothenate
- Pantethine
- Dexpanthenol
Vitamin B6
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- Pyridoxine 5’-phosphate
- Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate
Biotin (Vitamin B7)
-
D-biotin
Folate (Vitamin B9)
- Folic acid
- Pteroylmonoglutamic acid
- Calcium-L-methylfolate
Vitamin B12
- Cyanocobalamin
- Hydroxocobalamin
- Methylcobalamin
- 5’-Deoxyadenosylcobalamin
Vitamin C
- L-ascorbic acid
- Sodium L-ascorbate
- Calcium L-ascorbate
- Potassium L-ascorbate
- L-ascorbyl 6-palmitate
Minerals
Calcium
- Calcium carbonate
- Calcium citrate
- Tricalcium citrate
- Calcium citrate malate
- Calcium lactate
- Calcium L-lactate
- Calcium gluconate
- Calcium chloride
- Calcium phosphate (dibasic, dihydrogen)
- Calcium glycerophosphate
- Calcium malate
- Calcium oxide
- Calcium sulfate
- Calcium bisglycinate
- Calcium L-lysinate
- Calcium L-threonate
- Calcium L-pidolate
Magnesium
- Magnesium carbonate
- Magnesium chloride
- Magnesium citrate
- Trimagnesium citrate
- Magnesium malate
- Magnesium gluconate
- Magnesium glycerophosphate
- Magnesium hydroxide
- Magnesium oxide
- Magnesium sulfate
- Magnesium lactate
- Magnesium bisglycinate
- Magnesium L-aspartate
- Magnesium L-lysinate
- Magnesium taurate
- Magnesium pidolate
Iron
- Ferrous carbonate
- Ferrous citrate
- Ferric ammonium citrate
- Ferrous fumarate
- Ferrous gluconate
- Ferrous lactate
- Ferrous sulfate
- Ferric pyrophosphate
- Ferric sodium diphosphate
- Ferric phosphate
- Ferric citrate
- Ferrous bisglycinate
- Elemental iron (carbonyl, electrolytic, hydrogen-reduced)
Zinc
- Zinc carbonate
- Zinc chloride
- Zinc citrate
- Zinc gluconate
- Zinc glycinate
- Zinc lactate
- Zinc oxide
- Zinc sulfate
- Zinc bisglycinate
- Zinc picolinate
- Zinc L-aspartate
- Zinc L-lysinate
- Zinc methionine
Copper
- Copper gluconate
- Copper citrate
- Copper sulfate
- Copper sulfate pentahydrate
- Copper oxide
- Copper bisglycinate
- Copper L-aspartate
Manganese
- Manganese carbonate
- Manganese chloride
- Manganese citrate
- Manganese gluconate
- Manganese sulfate
- Manganese bisglycinate
- Manganese glycerophosphate
Iodine
- Potassium iodide
- Sodium iodide
- Potassium iodate
- Sodium iodate
Selenium
- Sodium selenite
- Sodium hydrogen selenite
- Sodium selenate
- L-selenomethionine
- Selenomethionine
- Selenium-enriched yeast
- Selenium glycinate
Chromium
- Chromium picolinate
- Chromium polynicotinate
- Chromium (III) chloride
- Chromium (III) sulfate
- Chromium yeast
- Chromium nicotinate glycinate
Molybdenum
- Sodium molybdate (VI)
- Ammonium molybdate (VI)
- Potassium molybdate (VI)
- Molybdenum aspartate
Potassium
- Potassium chloride
- Potassium citrate
- Potassium gluconate
- Potassium bicarbonate
- Potassium carbonate
- Potassium phosphate salts
Sodium
- Sodium chloride
- Sodium citrate
- Sodium lactate
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Sodium carbonate
- Sodium phosphate salts
Boron
- Boron citrate
- Boron glycinate
