Allergen

Fish on UK food labels

Fish is one of the 14 allergens that must be declared when it is an ingredient of PPDS food. On the label, emphasise it every time it appears in the ingredients list — and use the wording customers and inspectors recognise.

Reviewed 22 September 2026 against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.

How to name it on the label

Official wording: Fish. On the pack, use: Fish.

Watch for

Worcestershire sauce is the classic trap — anchovy appears in marinades and cheese straws.

Where it hides

Anchovies in Worcestershire sauce and Caesar dressing
Fish sauce in Southeast Asian dishes
Some Asian stocks and dashi
Gelatine of fish origin

Traps

The kitchen trap

Worcestershire sauce is the classic trap — anchovy appears in marinades and cheese straws.

Compound ingredients

If fish arrives inside chocolate, sauce, stock or a mix, break that compound ingredient out so the allergen still appears in the list.

How to label it

Confirm whether fish is an intentional ingredient (including inside mixes).
Use the label name: Fish.
Emphasise it every time it appears — bold or capitals survive thermal printers.
Do not replace the ingredients list with a symbol or a separate allergen box alone.

Questions

Do I declare fish if it is only a trace?

Declare it when it is an ingredient. Unintended cross-contamination is different — precautionary “may contain” wording is not a substitute for listing ingredients that are actually used.

Is a symbol enough for fish?

No. On PPDS food the legal requirement is emphasis within the written ingredients list.

Official sources

Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.

Labelling guidance for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food productsFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidanceFood Standards Agency / GOV.UK
Food labelling: giving food information to consumersGOV.UK