Fish in Australia and New Zealand: label rules and introduction guidance

Is fish on the FSANZ allergen list?

'Fish' is its own required name under the Food Standards Code, with crustacean and mollusc as two further, separate names. A fish pie would show fish in bold in the ingredient list and 'Contains fish' in the summary statement; if it also had prawns, 'crustacean' would appear too. Before PEAL, allergen wording varied between manufacturers, so the fixed required names make seafood labels in Australia and New Zealand more consistent than they used to be.

Standard 1.2.3 and Schedule 9 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code require allergens to be declared using set 'required names'. Under the Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) rules in force since 25 February 2024, each allergen appears in bold in the statement of ingredients and again in a bold summary statement beginning with 'Contains', placed next to the ingredients. Food labelled before that date under the old rules could stay on sale until 25 February 2026. 'May contain' statements are voluntary and not regulated by the Code.

• FSANZ: Allergen labelling for food businesses

What ASCIA guidance says about introducing fish

ASCIA's Recommendation 5 lists fish among the common food allergens that parents should introduce in the first year of life, prioritising foods that are part of the family's usual diet. The evidence rating for this recommendation is very low. Once fish is in, Recommendation 9 says it should continue to be offered at least once a week unless your baby has an allergic reaction. ASCIA's broader safe food practices, feeding only foods a child can chew and swallow with ease and supervising meals, apply to fish as to anything else. Ask your doctor if there is fish allergy in the family.

ASCIA, the peak professional body of clinical immunology and allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand, published its updated Guideline: Infant Feeding for Food Allergy Prevention in 2026. It recommends starting solids when your baby shows signs of developmental readiness, usually around 6 months and not before 4 months, introducing only one new common allergen at a meal, and continuing to offer each allergen at least once a week once it is in, unless there has been an allergic reaction.

• ASCIA Guideline: Infant Feeding for Food Allergy Prevention (2026), summary of recommendations

Logging fish in the app

Set your region to Australia / New Zealand and the app's allergen schedule follows the FSANZ list. In the schedule, fish appears as Fish. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Log the species, salmon or cod rather than 'fish', since reactions and labels are both specific. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.