A practical, step-by-step workflow to pick the correct EU commercial designation and scientific name for Indonesian seafood labels in 2025—plus answers to the questions buyers ask most.
If there’s one thing that will stall a great Indonesian seafood shipment at the EU border, it’s the name on the pack. We’ve seen beautiful Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) and clean Mahi Mahi Fillet turned back or relabeled simply because the “commercial designation” didn’t match the Member State’s list. The fix isn’t complicated, but you do need a system. Here’s the workflow we use in-house when we prepare labels for EU customers.
The three pillars of EU “name-on-pack” compliance
- Member State commercial designation. Each EU country publishes its own list of approved fish names. You must use the commercial designation from the country where the product is sold.
- Scientific name. You must also display the species’ scientific name alongside the commercial designation.
- One pack, one truth. The name you print has to match the actual species in the pack. That’s obvious, but where people slip is using a group term when a specific species is required.
Reference: The rules sit in Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 on the common organisation of the markets for fishery and aquaculture products. You can read it on EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 1379/2013.
A step-by-step mapping workflow you can reuse
We use this exact six-step flow before we design or print.
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Define the markets of sale. List every EU country where the SKU will be sold or distributed. If your Grouper Fillet (IQF) goes to France and Germany, you’ll need the French and German designations.
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Open the official lists. Start at the Commission gateway and click through to each Member State’s register: EU gateway to commercial designations.
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Search by scientific name first. This avoids translation traps. For example:
- Yellowfin tuna → Thunnus albacares
- Vannamei shrimp → Litopenaeus vannamei
- Mahi mahi → Coryphaena hippurus
- Red snapper (Indonesia, Lutjanus spp) → check the exact species you’re using
- Grouper (Epinephelus spp) → find the precise species for your lot
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Capture the exact commercial designation(s). Many lists allow more than one valid commercial name per species. Pick the one that matches your label language strategy. Note accents and hyphenation. Copy-paste to avoid typos.
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Decide your label architecture. For multi-country distribution, we’ve found that clean language blocks work best. Example: French panel shows “Dénomination commerciale + Nom scientifique,” German panel shows “Verkehrsbezeichnung + Wissenschaftlicher Name.” Keep the scientific name identical across languages.
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Do a last-mile validation. Two quick checks save headaches:
- Does the chosen name exist in the latest version of the Member State list? These lists change. Recheck right before print.
- If it’s a mixed-species pack, have you listed each species with both the commercial designation and scientific name in descending order of proportion?
If you want us to sanity-check your mapping before you print, just share your draft artwork and market list. We’ll review the names against the latest registers. Need a quick answer today? Contact us on whatsapp.
Quick answers to the questions we get most
How do I choose the correct EU commercial name for vannamei shrimp on a retail label?
Use the scientific name Litopenaeus vannamei to find the approved name in the Member State list where you’ll sell. Don’t assume “vannamei shrimp” in English will be accepted everywhere. Some countries use language-specific terms or allow multiple synonyms. Pick the one from the list and print it alongside the scientific name.
Do I have to print both the commercial designation and the scientific name in the EU?
Yes. For fishery and aquaculture products sold to final consumers or mass caterers, both the commercial designation and the scientific name are compulsory. On prepacked products, they appear on the label. For non-prepacked products, they must be displayed at point of sale.
Where can I find each EU country’s approved list of fish commercial names?
Start here and click your target country: EU gateway to commercial designations. Each country hosts its own database, PDF, or table.
Can I use one label for multiple EU countries with different commercial names?
Yes, if you build multilingual panels and use the correct Member State designation in each language block. The scientific name remains the same. What we avoid is mixing multiple commercial names in a single sentence. Keep it clean and country-specific.
What should I do if my species isn’t listed on the Member State list?
It happens with less common Indonesian species. In our experience, you have three options.
- Use the scientific name as the commercial designation if the Member State allows it pending an update.
- Request an addition or clarification from the national competent authority.
- Temporarily align with an accepted group term only if the list explicitly permits it for your species. If in doubt, ask the authority. We’ve seen group terms rejected when the lot was clearly single-species.
Is English accepted for commercial designations across the EU?
Only if the Member State’s list recognises the English term. English isn’t a universal shortcut. France, Spain, Italy, Germany and others expect their own approved designation on pack.
How often are lists updated and do I need to recheck before printing?
There’s no single cadence. Some countries update annually, others ad hoc. We recheck before every print run and maintain a quarterly refresh of our internal mapping. If your EU customer updates their target markets, re-validate immediately.
Quick-start mappings for top Indonesian species (how to approach them)
We don’t ask you to memorize names. Here’s how we map some common Indonesian products:
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Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Use Member State lists for the precise designation. Our Yellowfin Steak and Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) ship with the scientific name consistently printed near the commercial designation for clarity.
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Vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Farmed or wild-caught origin doesn’t change the naming requirement. Pull the exact country-approved term and pair it with the scientific name. See our Frozen Shrimp (Black Tiger, Vannamei & Wild Caught) for the handling approach we recommend on pack artwork.
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Mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). Many Member States list a local-language name for mahi. Verify accents and spelling from the official register before final artwork.
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Grouper and snapper (Epinephelus spp, Lutjanus spp). Avoid generic “grouper” or “snapper” unless the Member State list allows group terms. For single species items like Grouper Fillet (IQF) or Snapper Fillet (Red Snapper), we confirm the species-level designation.
Practical tip: when a lot contains multiple species within a genus, make the label reflect that multi-species reality. Don’t upgrade a mixed-species lot to a single-species name just because it “reads nicer.” EU inspectors do check.
Non-obvious pitfalls we see (and how to avoid them)
- Copying last year’s label art. We’ve watched teams reuse 2023 artwork on a 2025 order and miss a country’s updated synonym list. Always reconfirm before print.
- Using “international English” as a fallback. Perfectly fine for internal artwork drafts, but not on the final EU label unless the target country accepts that term.
- Printing the scientific name in the wrong place. Put it close to the commercial designation on the principal display panel. Burying it only in the ingredients list tends to invite questions.
- Group terms on single-species packs. If you’re exporting Grouper Bites (Portion Cut) from a single species, use the species-level designation supported by the list rather than a general “grouper” term, unless the country permits it.
- Inconsistent names across languages. If your French panel says one thing and your German panel another for the same species, you’ll get flagged. Keep a master mapping and lock it before translation.
A label checklist you can run in 5 minutes
- Market list defined. Countries of sale confirmed with the buyer.
- Scientific name verified. Matches your COA and purchase specs.
- Member State designation captured. Exact spelling and accents.
- Multilingual layout set. One clear block per language and market.
- Final proof read by a second person. We catch 3 out of 5 labeling errors at this stage alone.
Resources and next steps
- EU overview of consumer information and commercial designations. Start here to reach each country’s official list: EU gateway to commercial designations
- Legal base: Regulation (EU) 1379/2013
If you’re building labels for a new SKU or expanding into another EU market, share your target countries and species. We’ll map the names and return a clean, printable list the same day in most cases. While you’re here, you can also browse our export-ready range to see how we structure specification sheets for EU labels. View our products.