UK Seafood Labelling for Indonesian Exports: 2026 Guide

A hands-on 2026 guide for Indonesian processors on getting UK prawn names right. How to pick the correct commercial designation and scientific name for vannamei and monodon, which national list to use, where the names must appear on pack, and practical label examples.

If you sell prawns into the UK and the name on pack isn’t exactly right, buyers push back, listings stall and relabelling costs pile up. We’ve spent years navigating UK fish naming, and the prawn rules are both simple and easy to misinterpret. This guide is the practical version you can hand to your QA and packaging teams.

The rule that matters: commercial designation plus scientific name

At UK retail, fishery and aquaculture products must show an approved commercial designation and the scientific (Latin) name to the final consumer. That obligation exists across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, though the approved name lists are set nationally.

Do you have to print the scientific name on the pack? In our experience, enforcement expects the scientific name to be clearly available at retail for prepacked goods. The safest and most accepted approach is to print it on pack, typically near the name of the food or in an information panel. For foodservice bulk that’s not sold at retail, providing it on a label or accompanying documentation is generally acceptable. For distance sales, it must be shown on the product page before purchase and with the delivery.

Recent practice hasn’t changed much in the last six months, but we are seeing UK buyers ask for both names on pack as standard to avoid store-level challenges. So make it part of your master artwork and you’re covered.

Which national list should you follow?

The UK has separate “commercial designations of fish” lists for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Use the list for the country where the retail sale happens. If your product will be sold across the UK, pick a designation that is accepted across all the relevant lists. The entries are broadly aligned but not identical.

How to find the right list:

Search for each nation’s “commercial designations of fish” list and download the current version.
Verify the list’s latest update date and keep a copy with your spec. Lists do get tweaked, including scientific synonyms.
Cross-check your chosen name for each destination nation before artwork sign-off.

Stylized UK map with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in different colors and chilled trays of prawns placed over each region, conveying nation-specific rules.

Step-by-step: choosing the correct UK name for vannamei and monodon

Here’s the workflow we use on every label project.

Confirm the exact species. Don’t rely on farm type or size grade. Get the scientific name from your catch cert, farm records or certificate of analysis. For Indonesian warm-water prawns the common cases are Litopenaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon.
Look up the approved commercial designation on the destination list. You’ll typically find several acceptable common names per species entry. For warm-water prawns, lists often allow generic “Prawns” and sometimes “Warm-water prawns.” For P. monodon, “Tiger prawns” is commonly listed. For L. vannamei, the consumer-facing terms most UK buyers use are “Prawns,” sometimes qualified by “warm-water” or “king” as a size descriptor.
Decide the consumer-facing name. We recommend using the approved commercial designation as the name of the food. If you want to add a size or cut descriptor, pair it with the approved name. Examples:

“King Prawns” as a front label with “Commercial designation: Warm-water prawns” in an info panel.
“Tiger Prawns” for monodon where the national list explicitly allows “Tiger prawns.”

Add the scientific name. Place “Scientific name: Litopenaeus vannamei” or “Scientific name: Penaeus monodon” on pack. Keep it near the commercial designation or in a consistent location your QA team can audit.
Sense-check against all destination nations. If a UK retailer’s distribution might include England and Scotland, confirm your chosen term appears on both lists for the relevant species.

We apply the same logic whether we’re supplying peeled and deveined, head-on shell-on or value-added prawn items from Indonesia. For instance, our Frozen Shrimp (Black Tiger, Vannamei & Wild Caught) lines ship with preapproved UK naming panels for vannamei and monodon to avoid rework at destination.

Is “king prawn” an approved UK commercial designation or just marketing?

“King prawn” is widely used by UK retailers as a size descriptor, not a species. On most national lists, it’s not the sole approved commercial designation for vannamei or monodon. That doesn’t mean you can’t print “King Prawns” on the front. It means you should pair it with an approved designation such as “Prawns” or “Warm‑water prawns” in the legal name panel and include the scientific name. We’ve found that this satisfies both buyers and trading standards officers.

Practical wording:

Front: “Raw King Prawns”
Info panel: “Commercial designation: Warm‑water prawns. Scientific name: Litopenaeus vannamei.”

Do I need Latin on the pack, or is point of sale enough?

The scientific name must be available to the final consumer at retail. For prepacked goods, the most robust method is to print it on the label. Relying only on shelf-edge tickets can create compliance gaps when products are moved between stores or sold online. We recommend a permanent on-pack Latin name for every SKU.

What are the correct names for vannamei and monodon on UK labels?

Use the species-specific entry on the national list:

Litopenaeus vannamei. Commonly labelled as “Prawns” or “Warm‑water prawns.” Many retailers also show “King prawns” as a descriptor. Pair with the Latin name.
Penaeus monodon. Often permitted as “Tiger prawns.” Pair with the Latin name.

If a national list includes “shrimp” as an alternative designation for the species, you can use it. But UK consumers expect “prawn,” so we default to “prawn” for clarity unless a buyer specifies otherwise.

Can I use “shrimp” instead of “prawn” on UK labels?

Sometimes. Some national lists include “shrimp” alongside “prawn” for warm-water species. If the list for your destination nation does, you may use “shrimp.” If it doesn’t, stick to “prawn.” Beyond compliance, “prawn” tends to convert better in UK retail. We only use “shrimp” when a retailer’s brand guidelines require it and the list allows it.

How do I label a product that mixes vannamei and monodon?

Mixed-species prawn packs need a generic approved designation that covers both, plus both scientific names. A practical approach is:

Name of the food: “Prawns” or “Warm‑water prawns.”
Scientific names: list both, for example “Litopenaeus vannamei, Penaeus monodon.”
Ingredients: list both species and the proportion if it varies significantly by batch. Some buyers want ranges.

Operational tip: mixed-species packs regularly trigger buyer questions and extra checks. If you don’t need the mix for supply reasons, single-species SKUs are simpler to sell and audit.

Where should the commercial designation appear, and must it match the ingredients name?

The commercial designation should be used as the name of the food or appear right alongside it in the principal field of vision. Make it obvious and legible. The ingredients list can use the same term. It’s fine to add a cut or process descriptor, for example “Prawns, peeled and deveined.” The key is that the approved designation and the scientific name are easy to find.

Common mistakes we see (and how to avoid them)

Using “King Prawn” as the only legal name. Solve it by pairing “King Prawns” with the approved commercial designation and the Latin name on pack.
Printing EU-only species names or relying on old UK lists. Always check the current national list for the retail destination before artwork sign-off.
Switching to “shrimp” without confirming the national list permits it. If in doubt, choose “prawn.”
Omitting the scientific name on prepacked retail labels. Put it on pack and standardise its placement across SKUs.
Shipping to Northern Ireland with GB-only choices. NI aligns with EU naming rules. Verify the NI list before you print.
Relabelling at destination without controls. Stickering is acceptable in practice if it’s done before retail sale, doesn’t obscure mandatory information and preserves traceability. But it’s cheaper and safer to print compliant artwork from day one.

Need help pressure-testing your label copy for a specific UK retailer or nation? Reach out and we’ll sanity-check it against the latest lists. You can Contact us on whatsapp.

Practical label examples you can adapt

These examples assume retail packs sold in England. Adjust the commercial designation wording if a different nation’s list uses a variant term.

Example A. Vannamei, peeled and deveined, frozen

Front: “Raw King Prawns. Peeled & Deveined. Frozen.”
Info panel: “Commercial designation: Warm‑water prawns. Scientific name: Litopenaeus vannamei.”

Example B. Monodon, head-on shell-on, frozen

Front: “Tiger Prawns. HOSO. Frozen.”
Info panel: “Commercial designation: Tiger prawns. Scientific name: Penaeus monodon.”

Example C. Mixed vannamei and monodon, cooked and peeled

Front: “Cooked Prawns. Warm‑water.”
Info panel: “Commercial designation: Warm‑water prawns. Scientific names: Litopenaeus vannamei; Penaeus monodon.”

We build these into our master specs so they travel with the product and procurement teams aren’t guessing later. If you’re planning a new line, it’s smart to lock the naming during NPD instead of at the print stage. While you’re developing, you can also review formats and specs across our range to match UK buyer expectations. Start here: View our products.

Final takeaways for 2026

Use the retail destination’s national list. If shipping UK-wide, choose a designation that works across England, Scotland, Wales and NI.
Pair your consumer term with the approved commercial designation and always include the scientific name on pack.
“King prawn” is a useful size descriptor but not a stand-alone legal name. Treat it as marketing, not compliance.
For vannamei and monodon, default to “prawn” for UK consumers. Only use “shrimp” if the national list allows it and your buyer asks for it.

Get these pieces right and labelling stops being a friction point in UK tenders. In our experience, a clean naming panel is one of those small details that keeps listings moving and avoids costly relabels at the last minute.