Riceberry rice
Bred by Kasetsart University in 2002, with a measured glycemic index of 62, in the medium range.
Thai Nourish · Taste
Imagine mango sticky rice without the sugar spike.
Thai food is loved worldwide, and Thai food science keeps adding new crops and products. Thai Nourish is about making Thai food work for health too: food, drinks and supplements that taste Thai and help people stay well for longer.
Goal: Make Thai food that tastes great and keeps blood sugar steady. Built on: Thai dishes and tom yum herbs, plus Riceberry rice and new Thai food tech.
What Thailand has
A food superpower with a sugar problem.
10.1%
of Thai adults had diabetes in 2020, up from 7.5% in 2004.
Source: Aekplakorn et al., Scientific Reports, 2025135
nutrient function claims Thai food makers can use without a new application.
Source: Thai FDA, Notification No. 447Top opportunities
Three Thai foods ready for a tested claim.
Tom yum herbs
Lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime: a UNESCO-listed dish built on Thai herbs.
Lower-sugar Thai desserts
Mango sticky rice and khanom Thai rebuilt for people watching their blood sugar.
The proof gap
Great flavor. Few tested health claims.
Thai food sells on taste. Most of the evidence we found on Thai ingredients comes from lab and animal studies, not people. Thai FDA rules let makers use listed claims; anything new needs evidence and approval, which is where ventures can lead.
See the evidence
Impact · our view
Keep the flavor. Lose the spike.
1 in 10 Thai adults had diabetes in 2020.
For Thailand's economy
- Tested health claims that add value to Thai food exports
- New products for Thai SELECT restaurants and retail abroad
- Higher prices for Thai farm ingredients with proven benefits
Build it
Make Thai food that keeps people well.
Build lower-sugar Thai recipes and products, AI meal planning for older adults, or a testing route that takes a Thai ingredient to an approved claim.
Case studies
Who did it first, elsewhere.
Oatly
An oat drink brand built on an enzyme process for oats, sold as an everyday alternative to dairy.
Which Thai ingredient could become the world's next everyday drink or food?Yakult
A small daily probiotic drink built on one bacterial strain, sold in dozens of countries.
What small daily Thai habit could become something people buy every day?Next areaThai Care →
Sources for this page (8)
- Aekplakorn et al., Scientific Reports 2025: diabetes in Thailand
- Thailand.go.th: tom yum kung inscribed by UNESCO
- Thai FDA: Notification No. 447 (English text)
- Kasetsart University: Riceberry rice
- Bangkok Post: Thai SELECT certification
- NXPO: Siam Terra fast track for health claims (26 Oct 2026)
- NutraIngredients: Japan Foods with Function Claims (2021)
- Royal Thai Government: DITP Thai SELECT network (May 2026)