Thailand's proposed secondary alcohol rules could severely limit how breweries, bars and restaurants display beer products, according to the Craft Beer Business Association.
The draft measures, linked to Section 32/1 of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, will be discussed at a public consultation on 9 September. They are not yet in force and the final regulations have not been decided.
What the proposed draft would require
Supapong Pruenglamphu, president of the Craft Beer Business Association, said the proposals would require health warnings to cover at least one-third of the top of advertising space. Product names and logos would generally be confined to 5% of the space, or 3% in some formats.
The draft health warnings include statements that alcohol can cause cancer, disability and death, or dementia.
Supapong said images of alcoholic drinks or their packaging, including partial images, would not be allowed under the proposed criteria. Prices and other details could be shown only where they were not judged to directly or indirectly encourage drinking.
He questioned that wording, saying the phrase "directly or indirectly" was broad enough to leave considerable scope for interpretation by enforcement officials.
Menus, social media and venues
A mock drinks menu prepared using the consultation criteria looked increasingly like cigarette packaging because health warnings took up so much of the available space, Supapong said.
He added that a venue with 20 draught beer taps could find it difficult to list every beer while complying with the restrictions. The association is also unclear whether "media" could include signs, glasses, kegs and staff clothing.
Small operators relying on Facebook or Line could be especially affected, Supapong said. Under his reading of the draft, posts might not be able to show bottles, cans, glasses or even parts of labels, while warnings could fill about a third of each image. He said exceptions for product information may apply only to official websites.
Questions over exemptions
Supapong also raised concerns that exemptions for licensed venues may refer to entertainment-venue licences rather than the alcohol sales licences held by many restaurants, taprooms and craft beer bars. Even exempt premises could be required to keep promotional material out of outside view, creating difficulties for businesses with glass fronts or open layouts.
He said the position of beer festivals was also uncertain. Government-organised events might qualify for exemptions, while private or association-run festivals might not, even when organisers check identification and enforce age limits.
The draft specifically refers to sommeliers as alcohol professionals, but not Cicerone and Beer Sommelier professionals, BJCP judges, brewers, bartenders, venue owners, instructors or reviewers, Supapong said.
He described the proposed controls as excessive and said the association would oppose them, while stressing that its concerns are based on its interpretation of the consultation documents.
Infographic via Craft Beer Association (translated into English)
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9 September 2026
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