Swedish Fish is a fish-shaped, chewy candy originally developed by Swedish candy producer Malaco in the late 1950s for the U.S. market. The wrapper calls them "a fat free food", and they are gluten-free. The sweet fishy treats are marketed in different colors and flavors.
Ingredients
According to the U.S. distribution packages, Swedish Fish is made out of the following ingredients:
One of the ingredients in Swedish Fish is invert sugar, a combination of glucose and fructose. Invert sugar is important in Swedish Fish due to its ability to retain moisture. Fructose has high solubility, therefore it holds more water and crystallizes less easily. This is why Swedish Fish have a very long shelf life and do not spoil easily. Swedish Fish contain modified cornstarch which is used primarily to form its shape. It is utilized as a medium in trays when the product is put in them to be molded. In addition, white mineral oil is added to these trays to supplement the starch, prevent the candy from crumbling, and give it a shiny coating. Carnauba wax is used in Swedish Fish as a coating and gives the candy a waxy texture. Citric acid gives the Swedish Fish an even longer shelf life.
In Sweden
In Sweden, a large share of confectionery sales are sold as pick and mix. Wine gums are sold in many different shapes, of which fish is just one. The Swedish Fish candy is marketed under the name "pastellfiskar", literally "pastel fish", and under the Malaco brand among others. The fish shaped candies are also part of various Malaco bags of mixed candy. This candy bag has been sold for many years and is still popular among the Swedish people.
Today the Swedish Fish consumed in North America are made in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Turkey by Mondelēz International. In Canada, Swedish Fish are distributed under Mondelez International's Maynards brand. The fish are distributed in the U.S. by Mondelēz International. The fish-shaped candy gained enough popularity on its own to where the Malaco, and later Cadbury, company had to do little advertising for the product, until this past decade. A recent resurgence in popularity has resulted in greater accessibility in supermarkets and convenience stores where they are often sold prepackaged in plastic bags. Building upon this resurgence, the company recently created "Giant Fish" television advertisements and a "Treadin' Water" YouTube mini-series, which follows the miscellaneous adventures of four friends and a Giant Swedish Fish sharing an apartment. The first few episodes of the mini-series were published onto YouTube on May 9, 2016. Originally colored red with a flavor unique to the candy, they are now also available in several different colors, such as Orange & Lemon-Lime. Purple Swedish Fish in grape flavor were discontinued in 2006. The fish come in two different sizes. Initially, the smaller fish came only in red; now fish of both sizes are available in all flavors. According to a visit to the factory on the Food Network's show Unwrapped, green is not lime, but pineapple flavor, while yellow is a lemon-lime flavor.
History
Although well known in the U.S., Swedish Fish were only launched on the U.S. market in the late 1950s. The original owner of these candies was the Swedish company Malaco, who wanted to expand its sales to North America. Wanting to create a product that reflected the culture of Sweden in some way, a fish-shaped gummy candy was created. Fishing was and is still a large part of Sweden's culture, and fish is a considerable part of the Swedish diet. Mondelez distributes the candy in the U.S. today, but the fish gummies are still distributed by Malaco in Sweden.
Partnerships
In 2009, Rita's Italian Ice, a U.S. chain which serves Italian ice and frozen custard, introduced a red Swedish Fish flavored Italian ice as a cobranded product. Trident, a gum company owned by Mondelez Global, produced a Swedish Fish flavored product, which is advertised as "Berry + Lemon" flavor. In 2016, Nabisco created a test-market product Swedish Fish Oreos, available at Krogergrocery stores in the US.
