Swedish Fish facts for kids
Swedish Fish wrapper
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| Alternative names | Swedish Fish |
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| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Created by | Malaco |
| Main ingredients | Sugar, invert sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, citric acid |
Swedish Fish are a popular, chewy candy shaped like a fish. They were first made by a Swedish company called Malaco in 1957, especially for people in the United States. You can find them in many different colors and flavors!
Contents
What's Inside Swedish Fish?
Swedish Fish are made with several ingredients that give them their unique taste and texture. Here are some of the main ones:
- Sugar
- Invert sugar (a mix of glucose and fructose)
- Corn syrup
- Modified corn starch
- Citric acid
- Natural and artificial flavors
- White mineral oil
- Carnauba wax or Beeswax
- Food dyes like Red #40, Yellow #6, Yellow #5, and Blue #1
Swedish Fish are known for being a fat-free food. They are also gluten-free, which means they don't contain gluten.
How Ingredients Make Them Special
The ingredients in Swedish Fish work together to make them chewy and shiny.
- Invert sugar helps the candy stay moist and soft.
- Modified cornstarch is important for giving the fish their shape. It's used in trays where the candy is molded.
- White mineral oil is added to help the candy keep its shape, stop it from crumbling, and give it a shiny look.
- Carnauba wax is used as a coating, which also adds to the candy's waxy feel.
- Citric acid helps the candy last longer on the shelf.
Swedish Fish Around the World
In Sweden, people often buy candy from "pick and mix" sections, where you choose different kinds of sweets. Fish-shaped candies are just one of many types of wine gums you can find there.
The Swedish Fish candy is called "pastellfiskar" in Sweden, which means "pastel fish." They are sold under the Malaco brand. These fish-shaped candies are also part of a popular mixed candy bag called "Gott&blandat," which means "Good & Mixed." This bag was first introduced in 1979 and has had many different versions over the years. The recipe for Swedish Fish in Sweden is a little different from the one used in North America.
In North America
Today, most Swedish Fish eaten in North America are made in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and in Turkey. They are made by a company called Mondelēz International. In Canada, Swedish Fish are sold under the Maynards Bassetts brand.
Swedish Fish became very popular in the U.S. without much advertising at first. Recently, they have become even more popular and are now easy to find in many stores. To celebrate this, the company made "Giant Fish" TV ads and a fun YouTube mini-series called "Treadin' Water." This series follows the adventures of four friends and a Giant Swedish Fish who share an apartment.
Originally, Swedish Fish were only red and had a unique flavor. Now, you can find them in other colors like orange and lemon-lime. Purple, grape-flavored Swedish Fish were stopped in 2006. The candy comes in two sizes. At first, only the small fish were red, but now both sizes come in all flavors. The green fish are actually pineapple flavored, not lime, and the yellow ones are lemon-lime flavored.
The Story of Swedish Fish
Even though they are very well known in the U.S., Swedish Fish were only launched there in 1957. The original company, Malaco from Sweden, wanted to sell their candies in North America. They partnered with Cadbury to do this.
They wanted to create a candy that showed something about Swedish culture. Since fishing has always been a big part of life in Sweden, and fish are an important food there, they decided to make a fish-shaped gummy candy. Today, Mondelez distributes the candy in the U.S., but Malaco still sells the fish gummies in Sweden.
Fun Partnerships
Swedish Fish have teamed up with other companies to create new and exciting products:
- In 2009, Rita's Italian Ice, a U.S. chain, started selling a red Swedish Fish flavored Italian ice.
- Trident gum, also owned by Mondelez, made a Swedish Fish flavored gum called "Berry + Lemon."
- In 2016, Nabisco created a special test product: Swedish Fish Oreos! These were available in some Kroger grocery stores in the U.S.
- Ghost Energy Drinks also offers Swedish Fish as one of their flavors.
