Ministry of Commerce Elevates Agricultural Products by Partnering with MasterChef to Create Special Menus for Three Major Airlines

The Ministry of Commerce is upgrading Thai agricultural products by enlisting MasterChef Thailand competitors to develop special menus for three major airlines. Withaya Manirat, Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade, revealed that the project implements Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Suthathamphand's policy to help farmers secure better markets and elevate the value and image of Thai agricultural goods. The department has selected quality raw materials from various regions and handed them to MasterChef Thailand contestants to create special menus under the concept of "Local Ingredients World Class Experiences," with results to be featured on partner airlines that reach both Thai consumers and international tourists directly.

"The heart of this project is to help absorb agricultural production from farmers and increase its value through the creativity of new-generation chefs before delivering it to passengers on all three partner airlines, which represents a promising market that creates a new image for Thai agricultural products," Withaya said.

Kitikorn Penrojanwong, Chief Executive Officer of Heliconiae H Group, stated that Heliconiae is ready to use the power of MasterChef Thailand and its food-related content to promote Thai ingredients to consumers both domestically and internationally, with chefs from MasterChef Thailand Season 7 collaborating with airline chefs to create special menus.

For this collaboration, four contestants from MasterChef Thailand Season 7—selected from the final eight competitors—will develop menus using Thai agricultural raw materials for special offerings on partner airlines, both on flights and in passenger lounges. This brings Thai ingredients to the traveler market, a consumer group with significant purchasing power and potential to expand into international markets.

Orranong Methapipat, Director of Onboard Goods and Services at Thai AirAsia, stated that Thai AirAsia is ready to expand its cooperation with the Department of Internal Trade, building on its previous work in developing Thai fruit menus for flights. In 2025, Thai AirAsia will collaborate with DIT and MasterChef to develop new menus from quality Thai ingredients, launching them from July onwards to create new experiences for passengers and expand marketing channels for Thai agricultural products.

Warangkhana Lorojanvong, Chief Executive Officer of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, said Thai Airways will feature menus from this project in its "Chef of the Month" activity in First Class and Business Class lounges from July through October 2025, with MasterChef chefs collaborating with Thai Airways' kitchen team to develop menus reflecting the elegance, creativity, and quality of Thai raw materials, delivering a special experience to passengers.

Julin Kochareun, Senior Deputy Managing Director of Flight Network Management and Product Development at Bangkok Airways, stated that Bangkok Airways is ready to develop special food and beverage menus using Thai agricultural ingredients for both passenger lounges and onboard service, sharing the flavors and stories of Thai products with both Thai and foreign passengers while supporting farmers and the grassroots economy.

Withaya noted that the agricultural products used in the project are diverse, including fish, livestock, and agricultural crops such as three-water catfish from Songkhla Province and Phulae pineapples from Chiang Rai Province.