On 30 September 2025, Dr. Siriporn Pittayasophon, Vice President of NXPO, delivered a presentation at the workshop on drafting the strategic and action plans. The workshop was organized by Chulabhorn Royal Academy as part of its initiative to establish a Faculty of Agro-Industry.
In her presentation, Dr. Siriporn outlined the national direction for advancing the medical food and personalized food industry. She highlighted that the global medical food market is growing at 6.6% annually and is projected to exceed USD 36.6 billion by 2030. In Thailand, the market value of medical foods and personalized foods—such as foods for kidney patients, infant foods, and lactose-free products—reached 16.5 billion THB in 2024, with 7 billion THB from exports growing at 10% annually and 9.5 billion THB from the domestic market growing at 6% annually. The ASEAN region remains a key export market, particularly Malaysia, which accounts for 34% of Thailand’s medical food exports.
Dr. Siriporn stressed that Thailand can further enhance product value by leveraging specialized raw materials such as organic rice and plant-based proteins, which can be developed into organic medical foods. Products with functional and health claims could generate even higher value, with profit margins reaching up to 55%. This demonstrates Thailand’s potential to become the Food Innovation Hub of ASEAN, especially in functional ingredients and medical nutrition.
She further noted the importance of strengthening research and innovation in health foods, emphasizing that the program launched by Chulabhorn Royal Academy will serve as a model for integrating science, technology, and health systems. The program also creates opportunities to link the entire technology development pathway—from basic research and prototype development to clinical trials, commercial-scale production, and regulatory approval.
