LRPS-2026-9203692 Cost-benefit assessment of the Act to Regulate the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health in Thailand

UNICEF is seeking an institutional contractor to support conduct a cost–benefit assessment of the Act to Regulate the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health.

 

Background

 

In response to rising rates of overweight and obesity in Thailand, the Department of Health (DoH), Ministry of Health, has drafted an Act to Regulate the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health. The purpose of the Act is to reduce children’s exposure to the marketing of unhealthy food and beverage and improve children’s diets.

 

Exposure to advertising for unhealthy foods has been shown to influence what and when children eat, shape their food preferences, and contribute to overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases in later life. The Act is a critical component of a broader package of interventions recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address obesity and non‑communicable diseases in Thailand. Developed over more than five years through an extensive consultative process, including public hearings, the Act is currently awaiting the signature of the Minister of Public Health. It includes eight key measures to restrict the marketing of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) to children and adolescents up to 18 years of age, as outlined below.

 

• Labelling: Packaging must not use techniques that appeal to children, such as cartoons or child-targeted text, and must display clear, easy-to-understand symbols indicating high levels of fat, sugar, or salt.
• Value-for-money claims: Labels and marketing materials for HFSS products must not include statements suggesting value for money, whether in retail, wholesale, or e-commerce settings.
• Sales restrictions in schools: HFSS foods, drinks, and snacks will be prohibited in educational institutions below the tertiary level.
• Advertising bans: Advertising of HFSS products shall be prohibited across all communication channels, including television, radio, online media, billboards, public transport, and schools.
• Donations: Donations of HFSS products to schools or other places where children gather will not be permitted.
• Sponsorship and materials: Companies will be prohibited from supplying materials, equipment, or financial support for children’s activities if they include branding or messages that directly link to HFSS products.
• Community promotion: HFSS product promotion through groups, clubs, or online communities will be prohibited.
• Direct engagement with children: Companies must not promote HFSS products by directly contacting, inviting, or enticing children.

 

As deliberations on the draft Act have progressed, policymakers have raised concerns about its potential implications for businesses and the wider economy. In parallel, representatives of the food and beverage (F&B) sector and related organisations have engaged with the Ministry of Public Health to highlight possible economic impacts—particularly for retailers and producers—and to call for careful consideration of the Act’s consistency with Thailand’s broader economic and growth objectives.

 

However, the limited availability of robust, Thailand specific evidence on the Act’s anticipated impacts has constrained informed policy dialogue and advocacy. This evidence gap highlights the need for a dedicated cost–benefit assessment to support evidence-based decision-making that appropriately balances public health objectives with economic considerations.

 

Under the 2025–2026 Work Plan Agreement between UNICEF and the Ministry of Public Health, UNICEF has committed to supporting the Department of Health to strengthen regulatory frameworks aimed at preventing obesity among children and young people. In line with this commitment, UNICEF is commissioning a cost–benefit analysis of the Act to Regulate the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health. The study will generate rigorous evidence to inform policy dialogue, address concerns regarding potential economic implications, and support evidence‑based decision‑making that advances public health objectives alongside sustainable economic development.

 

 

Objectives, Purpose & Expected results

 

The specific objective of this assignment is to conduct a cost–benefit assessment of the Act to Regulate the Marketing of Food and Beverages Affecting Children’s Health, by analysing the associated costs and benefits for government, as well as for the public and the food and beverage (F&B) industry. The assessment will seek to answer the following key questions:

 

1. What are the overall economic costs to government, and the monetized economic benefits arising from reduced healthcare expenditure, avoided premature mortality, and improved productivity and educational outcomes, with health outcomes (e.g. DALYs/QALYs) monetized using transparent and justified valuation assumptions?
2. What are the overall economic costs for the F&B industry to comply with and adjust to the Act over the short, medium, and long term?
3. How are the costs and benefits of the Act distributed across different groups in society?
4. Which implementation options maximise benefits while minimizing economic costs?

 

The expected output of the assessment is an evidence-based report for government policy-makers that clearly sets out the expected economic costs and benefits of the Act over clearly defined short-, medium-, and long-term analytical horizons.

 

 

Description of the assignment

 

UNICEF requires a rigorous, transparent, and context‑appropriate methodological approach. The contractor is expected to propose and justify the most suitable modelling strategies for the Thailand context. The elements listed below represent minimum analytical components expected to be addressed; however, consultants may propose alternative or simplified approaches where appropriate, provided that methodological choices and trade-offs are clearly justified.

 

Minimum methodological expectations include:

1. Impact pathway / theory of change linking the Act’s provisions to exposure, behaviour, health, and economic outcomes.
2. Exposure modelling across front of pack labelling, sales restrictions in schools and advertising bans across all channels, including estimation of reductions and displacement effects.
3. HFSS product classification using a justified nutrient profiling model (as agreed with Government/ UNICEF).
4. Health impact modelling using an appropriate epidemiological modelling method.
5. Economic evaluation including costs to government, industry, society, and health system savings.
6. Equity analysis to assess differential effects on vulnerable groups.
7. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis with transparent documentation.
8. Assumptions and costs considered to compare all expected costs and benefits of the Marketing Act.

 

 

Deliverables and Timeline

 

The study will produce a set of analytical and policy-oriented deliverables as per the assignment. Expected deliverables and timelines are as follows:

 

Deliverable 1: Inception Package in English

A single, integrated inception package (maximum 40 pages) setting out the analytical, methodological, and operational foundations for the cost–benefit assessment.

The package will include:

• Findings from the desk review of national and international evidence on food marketing regulations, obesity prevention interventions, and relevant economic evaluation methodologies
• The proposed methodological approach for the cost–benefit analysis, including scope, analytical perspective, time horizons, and key limitations.
• Identification and assessment of data sources, including national surveys, administrative data, industry data, and international benchmarks, and a data collection and management plan
• The economic modelling framework, detailing model structure, impact pathways, key variables, parameters, and assumptions, supported by relevant evidence.
• A summary of preliminary consultations with key informants and implications for model design and data interpretation.
• An updated workplan and timeline for the remaining phases of the assignment

Indicative timeline of deliverable: August 2026

 

 

Location and Duration

 

• The assignment duration is foreseen from July 2026 to February 2027, during which time all tasks are expected to be completed and all deliverables achieved. The detailed timeline will be agreed between UNICEF and the contractor. Bidders are expected to include their specific timeline in the technical proposal, which is subject to review and approval by UNICEF.
• The assignment will be mostly completed at the contractor’s premises. The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for its completion, including any travel arrangements.
• Travel may be required based on the proposed methodology.

 

 

For full details, please refer to the attached Annex B - Terms of Reference.

 

This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM).

By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html .

 

In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission.

 

Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering.

 

Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated.

 

All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender.

 

Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to Tongchanok Sonsawangphol at tsonsawangphol@unicef.org with CC to: thl-ml-bkksupply@unicef.org - no later than 26 May 2026 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline.

 

The closing date of e-submission on UNGM is 2 June 2026 at 10.00 AM Bangkok time.

 

We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline.

 

Best regards,

 

UNICEF Supply team