Labelling of fish
Food labelling requirements when selling fish, including legal names of species and use of the term smoked
Although the United Kingdom left the European Union (EU) in 2021, certain pieces of legislation (known as 'assimilated law') continue to apply until such time as they are replaced by new UK legislation, revoked or permitted to expire. This means that our guidance still contains references to legislation that originated from the EU.
In this guide, the words 'must' or 'must not' are used where there is a legal requirement to do (or not do) something. The word 'should' is used where there is established legal guidance or best practice that is likely to help you avoid breaking the law.
This guidance is for England and Wales
The sale of fish is covered by the Fish Labelling Regulations 2013 and the Fish Labelling (Wales) Regulations 2013. It must be labelled with the true name of the fish, the production method, the catch area, and treatments and additives that must be declared. There is a list of recognised legal names, which is maintained and updated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
There are additional labelling requirements for fish that has been irradiated, previously frozen, smoked and/or contain any genetically modified material.
This guidance covers food that is not prepacked; for more information, see 'Labelling of non-prepacked foods'.
There are extra requirements for food that has been put into packaging before being offered for sale; see 'Labelling of prepacked foods: general'.
REQUIRED LABELLING
Fish must be labelled with the following:
- commercial designation of the food (see below)
- scientific name (which may be provided on a separate poster)
- production method (caught at sea, caught in fresh water, farmed or cultivated)
- catch / production area (see below)
- category of fishing gear used
- whether or not the fish has been defrosted (see below)
There is an exemption from the first three of these requirements for fish worth less than 20 euros (approximately £18) that is sold direct to the consumer by those who caught it.
As fish is a specified allergen, the allergen-labelling requirement must also be complied with. See 'Food allergens and intolerance' for more information.
NAMES FOR SPECIES OF FISH (COMMERCIAL DESIGNATIONS)
A name is required by law for the fish. Defra keeps an up-to-date list in its Commercial Designations of Fish document.
The list of recognised legal names for species of fish (or 'commercial designations') is updated as new species are marketed and when new scientific information about species becomes available.
A brand name, trade name, or made-up name must not be substituted for the true name. A commonly misused trade name is 'crab sticks'; to comply with the requirements listed above, this trade name must be accompanied by a true name that indicates that it includes fish, cereal and crab flavouring.
The name you use should be the same as that used by your supplier. By shortening a fish's name you could be misdescribing it - for example, lemon sole is different from sole (which means a Dover sole), and salmon is a different species from red or pink salmon, etc. Beware of megrim and lemon sole as these can be easily confused.
AREA OF CATCH / PRODUCTION
You are required to declare the area in which the fish was caught or produced, as follows.
CAUGHT AT SEA
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) breaks down fishing waters into 'Major Fishing Areas' and sub-areas within those major areas, each of which has a name and a number.
The waters surrounding Great Britain and Western Europe are referred to as Atlantic North East, Major Fishing Area 27.
A full list of names and numbers can be found on the FAO website.
Fish caught at sea must bear the following:
For example, 'Area of catch: North Eastern Atlantic - Irish Sea'.
If the fish was caught in an area other than the Atlantic North East, the Mediterranean or the Black Sea, you need only state the name of the Major Fishing Area.
CAUGHT IN FRESHWATER
If the fish was caught in freshwater, you must state the body of water from which it was caught.
For example, 'Area of catch: Lake Constance, Germany'.
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTS
Aquaculture products are fish, shellfish, etc grown in controlled environments.
You must state the country of production. Where the production process (birth, rearing, etc) took place in more than one country, this is:
- the country in which it reached more than half its final weight, or spent more than half of the rearing period
- in the case of shellfish, the country in which it had a final rearing stage of at least six months
GENETIC MODIFICATION
If a food contains any genetically modified material (for example, breadcrumbs may contain maize or soya) the product must be labelled 'Produced from genetically modified X' (where X is the substance that has been genetically modified). For example, 'Produced from genetically modified maize'.
For more information on GM foods, see 'Genetically modified foods'.
TREATMENT OR PROCESS
IRRADIATION
If the food (or any ingredients in the food) have been irradiated, it must be declared and marked 'irradiated' or 'Treated with ionising radiation' (some crustaceans and shellfish are irradiated, for example).
PREVIOUSLY FROZEN FISH
If fish that has been frozen is offered for sale in a thawed or partly thawed condition, it must be labelled with the word 'defrosted'.
SMOKED
Fish that has been smoked should be labelled as such. Where appropriate, this should indicate whether it was cold smoked (which will require thorough cooking) or hot smoked.
Care should be taken to ensure that your labelling clearly distinguishes between smoked and smoke flavour products. Only fish that has been actually flavoured by smoking can be labelled 'smoked'. Those treated with smoke solution must be labelled 'smoke flavour'.
Smoked fish is exempt from the requirement to give the commercial designation.
FORMED FISH
Many traditional products such as breaded scampi and breaded fish 'steaks' are now made with formed fish or minced fish. In order to prevent customers being misled, they must be labelled as 'formed fish'. Use the same name as that given by the manufacturer on the packaging.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
For information regarding weighing and measuring requirements, please see 'Weighing and measuring fish'.
FURTHER INFORMATION
More guidance on fish and seafood labelling can be found on the GOV.UK website.
TRADING STANDARDS
For more information on the work of Trading Standards services - and the possible consequences of not abiding by the law - please see 'Trading Standards: powers, enforcement and penalties'.
IN THIS UPDATE
General detail added.
Last reviewed / updated: June 2025
Key legislation
Please note
This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
The guide's 'Key legislation' links may only show the original version of the legislation, although some amending legislation is linked to separately where it is directly related to the content of a guide. Information on changes to legislation can be found on each link's 'More Resources' tab.
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