About 800 new Thai restaurants, most of which are located abroad, are expected to join the Thai Select programme by year-end, helping to promote Thai food among foreign customers.
Thai Select is part of the Thai Kitchen World Cuisine programme introduced in 2006 to capitalise on the global popularity of Thai cuisine.
A seal of approval or Thai Select logo will be issued to local and international Thai restaurants whose food has been certified genuine with high-quality ingredients.
Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom said 1,200 Thai restaurants abroad have been awarded the Thai Select logo so far.
"We expect 800 new Thai restaurants will get the Thai Select logo by year-end including 85 in Thailand," he said.
The growing number of certified Thai restaurants abroad with the Thai Select logo will help to increase Thai food exports as well.
Mr Boonsong expects exports of Thai food will surge by 5-10% this year from 17.9 billion baht last year.
In the first seven months of this year, the value of Thai food exports was worth 10.58 billion baht, up by 8.5%.
Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said the European debt crisis has had a negative effect on Thai restaurants in Europe, as people are cutting their visits to restaurants.
"But this situation has created more opportunities for Thai seasoning products and sauces, as people want to cook more at home," she said.
Meanwhile, Thai food producers are being encouraged to explore new markets for food exports in Asean.
As well, there are a rising number of Thai restaurant operators showing an interest in opening outlets in other Asean countries, particularly Myanmar, where local rules and regulations are not clear and rents are high.
Srichanok Wattanasiri, the managing director of Monty & Totco Co, the exporter of processed foods and seasoning products under Thai Choice brand, said her company has received Thai Select certification.
This has helped boost consumers' confidence about the quality of its food, she said.
Since 1996, Monty & Totco has exported its food products to more than 52 countries.
