Vary your fish consumption according to your tastes and needs
Consumption alternatives to suit everyone's tastes and specific recommendations for the most vulnerable groups
To assist consumers in their choice, the Agency therefore offers alternatives to enable consumers to heed these recommendations more closely, taking into account each consumer’s individual dietary habits, preferences and specific situation.
Consumption alternatives to suit everyone's tastes
If you only eat fish once a week, it must be rich in long-chain omega 3. Consider species such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, or smoked trout, as well as red mullet, anchovies or sardines for children aged 3 to 10 years.
If you want greater variety, you can eat two portions of fish moderately rich in omega 3, such as red mullet, anchovies, pilchard, sea bass, trout, sea bream, turbot, smelt, pike, or halibut.
If you want to go beyond these recommendations and eat fish more than twice a week, it is advisable to choose lean fish to make up the additional share: tuna (canned), pollock, cod, whiting, sole, ling, skate, hake, monkfish, plaice, dab.
Specific recommendations for the groups most sensitive to possible contamination
During pregnancy and in the first 3 years of age (perinatal period), a child's brain is particularly vulnerable to the toxic action of chemical contaminants, including methylmercury and PCBs. Specific recommendations for young and adolescent girls, women who are of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding, and children under 3 years further clarify the general recommendations.
| Children under 3 years | Young and adolescent girls | Women of childbearing age | Pregnant and breastfeeding women | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
High PCB-accumulating fish: | Limit consumption to a portion (60g) every two months | Limit consumption to a portion every two months | Limit consumption to a portion (150g) every two months | Limit consumption to a portion (150g) every two months |
Fish likely to contain high levels of methylmercury: | Limit consumption to a portion (60g) per week |
|
| Limit consumption to a portion (150g) per week |
Swordfish, marlin, siki, shark and lamprey | Avoid their consumption |
|
| Avoid their consumption |
Caution! For pregnant women and children under 3 years, consumption of raw fish and shellfish is also not recommended due to the microbiological hazards (Listeriosis in particular).