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                        Food Loss and Waste
          Advice about Eating Fish
          National Nutrition Month®
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          Advice about Eating FishConsumers Advice about Eating Fish
  
  					For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years
	
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    PrintAdvice about Eating Fish: Mom feeding her toddler fish
FDA and EPA have issued **advice regarding eating fish**‡.

This advice can help those who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding as well as parents and caregivers who are feeding children make informed choices when it comes to the types of fish that are nutritious and safe to eat. This advice supports the recommendations of the *Dietary Guidelines for Americans*.


The advice features a **chart**that makes it easy to choose dozens of healthy and safe options and includes information about the nutritional value of fish. A set of **frequently asked questions & answers** provides more information on how to use the chart and additional tips for eating fish.

**‡*This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish.”*

Read the full advice below or download in PDF.
**This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.**

Advice About Eating Fish - Chart Thumbnail
Enlarge in PDF


Supporting Materials | Education Resources for Consumers and Educators

En español and Additional Translations

Fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development
Fish provide **key nutrients** that support a child’s **brain development**.

Learn which nutrients in fish support child development


Eating fish can provide other health benefits too
Eating fish can provide other **health benefits** too.

Learn more about health benefits


The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern
The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* **recommends eating fish**as part of a **healthy eating pattern**.

Learn more about Dietary Guidelines and fish


Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.
Choose a variety of fish that are **lower in mercury**.

Learn which fish are lower in mercury


Fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development

Fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development.

Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a **child’s brain development**:

Omega-3 (called DHA and EPA) and omega-6 fats
	Iron
	Iodine (during pregnancy)
	CholineCholine also supports development of the **baby’s spinal cord**. Fish provide iron and zinc to support **children’s immune systems**. Fish are a source of other nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too.

divider
Eating fish can provide other health benefits too

Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.

**Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended** because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development.

Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating pattern, **may have heart health benefits**.

A **healthy eating pattern** consists of choices across all food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods, which includes fish), eaten in recommended amounts, and within calorie needs. Healthy eating patterns include foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components and have no or little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.

Healthy eating patterns that include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains are associated with:

**Promotion of bone health – decreases the risk for hip fractures***
	**Decreases in the risk of becoming overweight or obese***
	**Decreases in the risk for colon and rectal cancers***divider
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern

The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.

The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* recommends:

At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children§) per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
	Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between **8 and 12 ounces per week** of a variety of seafood from choices that are **lower in mercury**.divider
Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.

**This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.**

**What is a serving**? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.

**Pregnancy and breastfeeding:**
1 serving is 4 ounces **Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list**
(OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).
Fish Serving Size Hand: 1 serving = 4 ounces


**Childhood:**
On average, a serving is about: 
1 ounce at age 1 to 3 
2 ounces at age 4 to 7 
3 ounces at age 8 to 10 
4 ounces at age 11 **Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.**
Children Silhouette


Advice About Eating Fish - Choices Table
Enlarge in PDF | View Text Version | En español

**What about fish caught by family or friends?**Check for fish and shellfish advisories to tell you how often you can safely eat those fish. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week. Some fish caught by family and friends, such as larger carp, catfish, trout and perch, are more likely to have fish advisories due to mercury or other contaminants.

This advice supports the recommendations of the *Dietary Guidelines for American*s, which reflects current science on nutrition to improve public health. The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* focuses on dietary patterns and the effects of food and nutrient characteristics on health.

* There is moderate scientific evidence of a relationship between the eating pattern as a whole and the potential health benefit.

§For some children, the amounts of fish in the *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* are higher than in this FDA/EPA advice. The *Dietary Guidelines for Americans* states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shad, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whiting.

*Advice revised October 2021*


Supporting Information
	Questions & Answers
	Technical Information on Development of the Advice about Eating Fish
	FDA and EPA’s Response to External Peer Review on the FDA-EPA’s Technical Information
	External Peer Review Report of FDA-EPA’s Technical Information
	FDA Closer to Zero Action Plan

Text Versions of the Best Choices, Good Choices, and Choices to Avoid Lists of Fish
	Fish
			Best Choice, Good Choice, or Choice to Avoid?Anchovy
			Best ChoiceAtlantic croaker
			Best ChoiceAtlantic mackerel
			Best ChoiceBlack sea bass
			Best ChoiceButterfish
			Best ChoiceCatfish
			Best ChoiceClam
			Best ChoiceCod
			Best ChoiceCrab
			Best ChoiceCrawfish
			Best ChoiceFlounder
			Best ChoiceHaddock
			Best ChoiceHake
			Best ChoiceHerring
			Best ChoiceLobster, American and spiny
			Best ChoiceMullet
			Best ChoiceOyster
			Best ChoicePacific chub mackerel
			Best ChoicePerch, freshwater and ocean
			Best ChoicePickerel
			Best ChoicePlaice
			Best ChoicePollock
			Best ChoiceSalmon
			Best ChoiceSardine
			Best ChoiceScallop
			Best ChoiceShad
			Best ChoiceShrimp
			Best ChoiceSkate
			Best ChoiceSmelt
			Best ChoiceSole
			Best ChoiceSquid
			Best ChoiceTilapia
			Best ChoiceTrout, freshwater
			Best ChoiceTuna, canned light (includes skipjack)
			Best ChoiceWhitefish
			Best ChoiceWhiting
			Best ChoiceBluefish
			Good ChoiceBuffalofish
			Good ChoiceCarp
			Good ChoiceChilean sea bass/Patagonian toothfish
			Good ChoiceGrouper
			Good ChoiceHalibut
			Good ChoiceMahi mahi/dolphinfish
			Good ChoiceMonkfish
			Good ChoiceRockfish
			Good ChoiceSablefish
			Good ChoiceSheepshead
			Good ChoiceSnapper
			Good ChoiceSpanish mackerel
			Good ChoiceStriped bass (ocean)
			Good ChoiceTilefish (Atlantic Ocean)
			Good ChoiceTuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen
			Good ChoiceTuna, yellowfin
			Good ChoiceWeakfish/seatrout
			Good ChoiceWhite croaker/Pacific croaker
			Good ChoiceKing mackerel
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSMarlin
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSOrange roughy
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSShark
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSSwordfish
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSTilefish (Gulf of Mexico)
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELSTuna, bigeye
			Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS

En español
	Consejos sobre el consumo de pescado

Embarazo y lactancia: El Consumo de Pescado (Infografía)

Niños: El Consumo de Pescado (Infografía)

Kit de herramientas para redes sociales: Consejos de la FDA y la EPA sobre el consumo de pescado

El consumo de pescado: una guía para las familias hispanoamericanas

Seguridad de los alimentos para mujeres embarazadas, sus bebés por nacer y niños menores de cinco años

**Versiones de texto de las mejores opciones, buenas opciones y opciones a evitar listas de peces**

PESCADO
			Mejores opciones, Buenas opciones, o Opciones a evitarAlmeja
			Mejores opcionesArenque
			Mejores opcionesAtún, enlatado claro (incluye el bonito)
			Mejores opcionesBacalao
			Mejores opcionesBagre o pez gato
			Mejores opcionesBoquerón o anchoa
			Mejores opcionesCaballa
			Mejores opcionesCaballa del Pacífico
			Mejores opcionesCalamar
			Mejores opcionesCamarón
			Mejores opcionesCangrejo
			Mejores opcionesCangrejo de río
			Mejores opcionesCorvina
			Mejores opcionesEglefino
			Mejores opcionesEperlano
			Mejores opcionesGado o abadejo
			Mejores opcionesLangosta, americana o espinosa
			Mejores opcionesLenguado
			Mejores opcionesLisa o pargo
			Mejores opcionesLucio
			Mejores opcionesMerlán o pescadilla
			Mejores opcionesMerluza
			Mejores opcionesOstra
			Mejores opcionesPalometa
			Mejores opcionesPerca, de agua dulce y de mar
			Mejores opcionesPescado blanco
			Mejores opcionesPlatija o lenguado
			Mejores opcionesRaya
			Mejores opcionesRóbalo
			Mejores opcionesSábalo
			Mejores opcionesSalmón
			Mejores opcionesSardina
			Mejores opcionesSolla
			Mejores opcionesTilapia
			Mejores opcionesTrucha, de agua dulce
			Mejores opcionesVieira
			Mejores opcionesAnjova
			Buenas opcionesAtún, albacora/blanco, enlatado y
			fresco/congelado
			Buenas opcionesAtún, aleta amarilla
			Buenas opcionesBacalao negro
			Buenas opcionesBagre búfalo (o bagre boca chica)
			Buenas opcionesBlanquillo o lofolátilo (Océano Atlántico)
			Buenas opcionesCaballa española
			Buenas opcionesCarpa
			Buenas opcionesChopa
			Buenas opcionesCorvina blanca/Corvina del Pacífico
			Buenas opcionesCorvinata real/trucha de mar
			Buenas opcionesDorado/pez delfín
			Buenas opcionesHalibut o fletán
			Buenas opcionesLubina rayada (del mar)
			Buenas opcionesLutjánido o pargo
			Buenas opcionesMero
			Buenas opcionesPerca de mar chilena/Merluza negra
			Buenas opcionesPez roca
			Buenas opcionesRape
			Buenas opcionesAtún de ojos grandes o patudo
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioBlanquillo o lofolátilo (Golfo de México)
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioMacarela rey o caballa
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioPez aguja o marlin
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioPez espada
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioReloj anaranjado, raya o pez emperador
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurioTiburón
			Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio

Additional Translations
	Translations of Fish Names

عربي (Arabic)

简体中文 (Chinese, Simplified)

中國傳統 (Chinese, Traditional)

Français (French)

Hmoob (Hmong)

ខ្មែរ (Khmer)

한국어 (Korean)

Português (Portuguese)

Tagalog (Tagalog)

Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

Resources to Use FDA/EPA’s Fish Advice

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      09/28/2022
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesConsumers

          
                        Food Loss and Waste
          Advice about Eating Fish
          National Nutrition Month®
          Food Safety Education Month
          World Food Safety Day


                        Agricultural Biotechnology
          Buy, Store & Serve Safe Food
          People at Risk of Foodborne Illness
          What You Need to Know about Foodborne Illnesses
 
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