Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is preparing to launch a nationwide programme encouraging participating restaurants and vendors to sell rice-and-side-dish meals and other ready-to-eat dishes for no more than 40 baht per plate, with government financial support to help offset ingredient costs. The proposal is intended to reduce living costs, particularly for salaried workers, while allowing restaurants to join the scheme voluntarily.

Get today's headlines by email

Announced on 11 July 2026, the initiative is tentatively named the Khao Kaeng Thai Chuay Thai (Thai Helps Thai Rice-and-Side-Dish Programme). Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun said the project would build on the existing Thai Help Thai Plus programme as part of broader government efforts to ease household expenses during a period of rising living costs.

Under the proposal, participating restaurants would offer selected ready-to-eat meals meeting agreed quality and portion standards for a maximum price of 40 baht per serving. A typical meal would consist of rice served with at least two side dishes.

To help businesses manage costs, the government plans to provide subsidies for cooking ingredients. Officials are considering support packages worth 3,000 baht, 5,000 baht or 10,000 baht for each participating restaurant.

The Commerce Ministry expects to begin the pilot with 100,000 restaurants drawn from a network of around 250,000 eateries already affiliated with the ministry or taking part in the Thai Help Thai Plus programme. The pilot is expected to run for at least three months and could begin immediately after receiving Cabinet approval.

The Department of Internal Trade is finalising the proposal before submitting it to the Cabinet during the third week of July. Suphajee stressed that participation would be entirely voluntary and that the government would not impose price controls on restaurants.

Instead, businesses choosing to join the programme would receive financial assistance in return for providing affordable meal options. Participating restaurants would also receive official signs to display outside their premises, making it easier for customers to identify outlets offering the subsidised 40-baht meals.

Khaosod reported that if the pilot proves successful, the Commerce Ministry plans to expand the programme by increasing the number of participating restaurants across the country. The results of the initial three-month trial will help determine whether the scheme becomes a longer-term measure to support consumers and food businesses.

Join the discussion?

12 July 2026

View full article

I believe this will not work..a meal contains more than only ingredients and 40 THB is almost nowhere possible anymore. How can people earn if the prices are capped and the support is only 3k or 5 or 10k?

I look forward to a Wagyu steak dinner and a Guinness, for only 40 baht...

Thank you..Thai government.

Half of posters using their wives will sign up

I love it when they use the word scheme.....

My wife is an excellent cook especially for cheap dishes. She's had many eateries in Bangkok and Pattaya. She retired 12 months ago citing that she was barely breaking even. When I mentioned the 40 baht scheme she said that this would be impossible with the current prices of fresh food.

32 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Half of posters using their wives will sign up

I can cook myself with top quality ingredients for way less than 40bht a meal.

Why can't Thai's cook for themselves?

Roast pork and chips 25bht

Baked potato gravy and roast port 25bht.

What proportion of "poor"or financially struggling Thais eat at restaurants?

From years of observation, such workers at construction sites are visited by food vendors who sell either prepared meals or ingredients for cooking meals.

Others generally stop off at local markets on the way home to buy prepared means (at times only cooking rice at home).

Yet another "great" plan from a government Ministry whose "ideas" people seem to be totally ignorant of how most Thais live/survive.

Several nearby countries have similar schemes including Malaysia.

They don't seem to be a great success due to providers not being able to make a return.

The Indonesian school meals scheme was a spectacular "mess" on so many levels.

1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

What proportion of "poor"or financially struggling Thais eat at restaurants?

From years of observation, such workers at construction sites are visited by food vendors who sell either prepared meals or ingredients for cooking meals.

Others generally stop off at local markets on the way home to buy prepared means (at times only cooking rice at home).

Yet another "great" plan from a government Ministry whose "ideas" people seem to be totally ignorant of how most Thais live/survive.

Another great brain f**t by the Govrnment Ministry, they pass on the plan and let the food vendors subsides it.

Toasties are still 25 baht, no?

Another useless scheme

Just now, Rams86 said:

Another great brain f**t by the Govrnment Ministry, they pass on the plan and let the food vendors subsides it.

Maybe they're suggesting the type of meals that are given to Thai students. I've seen the food that was given to my wifes grand son and it was barely soi dog food at best.

don't 7/11 stores already do this with microwave meals

7 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Toasties are still 25 baht, no?

Another useless scheme

Thais don't eat them.

It is a gesture if you compare it with the 1000THB senators got for a lunch.. They get now the same dishes too for 40THB?? it would save a lot of money

I’d say it’s impossible to make even the tiniest profit on a 40-baht meal. Even if a seller used and reused burnt oil and the very lowest quality ingredients.

These govt subsidies of B3, B5, or B10k won’t make any difference.

Better for govt to start their own soup kitchen.

Better still to insure salaried workers are getting a decent wage so they can afford decent food and proper living conditions.

Another gov't boondoggle in the making.

Like so much that has gone before, it will become a bureaucratic quagmire stinking of corruption.

15 hours ago, Rams86 said:

My wife is an excellent cook especially for cheap dishes. She's had many eateries in Bangkok and Pattaya. She retired 12 months ago citing that she was barely breaking even. When I mentioned the 40 baht scheme she said that this would be impossible with the current prices of fresh food.

Wake up man, she said that to confuse you.

Another goofy demand-side stimulus. Zero effect for the economy. Vote-buying.

9 minutes ago, JackGats said:

Another goofy demand-side stimulus. Zero effect for the economy. Vote-buying.

Exactly.

It's straight out of Thaksin's populist playbook.

Government intervention invariably makes all situations worse. They should just go directly into issuing food-stamps - do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Utopia is just around the corner, provided you can dodge the bullets and the Gulags.

Perhaps Anutin is trying to put Thai voters into pigeonholes—and keep them there with a carefully timed handful of grain.

21 hours ago, Rams86 said:

Maybe they're suggesting the type of meals that are given to Thai students. I've seen the food that was given to my wifes grand son and it was barely soi dog food at best.

A lot of incidences of food poisoning too!