Thailand’s future food industry still young but steadily growing

Future food currently accounts for only 9% of Thailand’s food exports. But that number will soon rise.

Thailand is setting its sights on becoming a leader in this sector, leveraging the advances it has made in agriculture, fishing, food processing and biotechnology to drive future food R&D and tackle food safety, security and sustainability concerns not just for the present but for the long term. Strong government support coupled with innovation from industry and the academe augur well for the sector, as do health and wellness trends that fuel demand for related products.

Future food currently comprises four categories – functional foods and ingredients, medical and personalized foods, alternative proteins and organic foods. Functional foods and ingredients, which offer additional health benefits, account for 91% of the sector.

According to Smith Taweelerdniti, vice president of the Thai Future Food Trade Association and managing director at Nithi Foods, these products are experiencing double-digit growth at 10.3% YoY, with exports in January 2025 valued at 11 billion baht.

Medical and personalized food products had a smaller share of future food exports for the same period at 5% but post a bigger increase at 17.4% YoY at 629 million baht. Alternative proteins (plant-based, alternative milk products and insect-based options), had a 3% share at about 384 million baht. Organic foods accounted for 1.9% of Thailand’s future food exports with a value of 117 million baht.

The bulk of Thailand’s future food exports go to Southeast Asia. The other key export destinations are the US, China and the EU.

Smith Taweelerdniti, vice president of the Thai Future Food Trade Association and managing director at Nithi Foods, presented on the state of Thailand’s food industry, highlighting future foods during a media conference for Fi Asia 205 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

World’s food supplier

Thailand ranks among the world’s top exporters of agri-food and processed products, including rice and sugar—key staples for global consumers. It is also a leading supplier of halal foods and ready-to-eat meals, reinforcing its position as a major player in international food trade.

Harnessing its position as a leading global food supplier, the country is also advancing its food sector to tackle domestic and global food security challenges for the long term.

Besides being an agricultural and production powerhouse, Thailand’s strategic location, logistics strengths and R&D capabilities have enabled it to recover and maintain steady export growth after the pandemic. Food exports for 2024 reached about 1.6 billion baht or about $48 million. This represents a 6% jump from 1.55 billion baht of the previous year. Food exports in 2022 recorded the biggest increase so far at 22%, reaching 1.51 billion baht compared to 1.24 billion baht in 2021 and indicating a post-COVID market rebound.

“Our food exports have been posting stable growth these past few years, and on the back of these strong export numbers, we take pride in continuing to be the world’s food producer,” said Mr. Taweelerdniti, who is also vice chairman at FTI Chiang Mai. He said agri-food and processed food exports each accounted for nearly half of total 2024 shipments, with respective shares at 819 billion baht and 821 billion baht. Last year’s agri-food exports rose by 5% from 2023, and those of processed food by 4%.

Rice and fruits (chilled, frozen and dried varieties) led Thailand’s agri-food exports in 2024 with 28% share each at 225.66 billion baht and 231.40 billion baht, respectively. Chicken exports followed with 151.31 billion baht and 18% share.

In the processed food exports, canned seafoods contributed 120 billion baht in 2024, followed by sugar and molasses with 85.3 billion baht and pet foods with 85 billion baht. Wheat product exports totalled about 84 billion baht for the same year and those of beverages 70.5 billion baht.

According to Mr. Taweelerdniti exports of processed foods is on an upward trend. “The first two months of 2025 show a 27% increase from the same period in 2024 at 127 billion baht compared to 122.56 billion baht,” he said.

Rice exports, however, are experiencing a decline, he noted, with shipments for January to February 2025 dropping to 26.16 billion baht from 40.31 billion baht from the same period in 2024. The export share of rice for the first two months of 2025 was 26%, down from 35% in January to February 2024.

“Thailand’s exports of other key products for January and February 2025 also experienced a decline compared to the same months last year. But exports of chicken have increased by 7.5%,” he observed. This means 26% of total exports for the first two months of the year, up from just 20% share of the total January to February 2024 exports. “We hope we can maintain this export growth this year and onward.”

Nurturing future food

Despite increasing interest in future food, Mr. Taweelerdniti observed low domestic consumption of these products, adding that this could be a challenge in growing the market. “If we want to be a leader in future foods, we must consume what we produce,” he said.

The Thai Future Food Trade Association helps promote future food products and encourages domestic consumption. Besides assisting member companies, the association prioritizes initiatives to boost local consumption, mainly through awareness campaigns underscoring how future food is healthy at the same time sustainably produced. “We emphasize the health benefits in relation to rising demand for health and wellness products. We also talk about caring for the planet. So, two areas: benefit to the consumer and benefit to the planet,” Mr. Taweelerdniti shared.

To support this, the organization launched Wen Day on Wednesday. “Wen” in Thai means to avoid or skip. The program is inspired by meatless Mondays, and encourages Thais to skip meat every Wednesday and instead go for plant-based options, including meat alternative from insects. It is also aligned with Thailand’s emission targets. “One day without meat means less carbon footprint,” he said. 

“We also try to engage the public sector in our initiatives. The Thailand Chamber of Commerce, for example, wants 30% of the food it serves in its events or functions to be plant-based.”

The association is also looking to craft policies and work with the government on other programs to shore up the sector. One area is in regards to carbon emission and certification as these relate to future foods.

Much like energy-rated electronic appliances, future food products—or the establishments that serve them—could be rated based on their carbon savings. “If a restaurant is serving one metric tonne of plant-based meat, that translates to one metric tonne of meat not being served, which means less carbon emission for that restaurant,” Mr. Taweelerdniti explained.

Accelerating food innovations

SPACE-F is Thailand’s first global food tech incubator and accelerator established through the cooperation of the National Innovation Agency, Thai Union Group, Mahidol University, and with support from leading companies.  It works with small food companies and startups by providing them with guidance and mentorship in developing innovative ideas for the food industry. Startups are given funding assistance and networking opportunities to enable them to translate their ideas into actual business or scale up their existing business.

The Thai Future Food Trade Association is also actively promoting the development of homegrown health research. The current health data being used is from third-party research sources from the US, Europe and Japan. “We don’t have studies on health claims or health research based on the local data and market. This is one area where we can also make some headway to support the development of certain ingredients with some health benefits and perhaps also contribute in developing new food products incorporating these new ingredients,” Mr. Taweelerdniti said.