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Swedish Fish is a fish-shaped chewy wine gum candy, originally developed by the Swedish candy producer Malaco in the late 1950s for the U.S. market.
Contents
Ingredients
According to the USA distribution packages, the candy is made out of the following ingredients:
In Sweden
In Sweden, large amounts of confectionery are sold every year, and a substantial part of it is 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 a favorite among Swedes.
In North America
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 Cadbury's Maynards brand.
The fish are distributed in the U.S. by Mondelēz International, and are most commonly found in specialty candy stores in which they can be bought by the ounce. A recent resurgence in popularity has resulted in greater accessibility in supermarkets and convenience stores where they are often sold prepackaged in plastic bags.
Originally colored red with a flavor unique to the candy (often guessed to be lingonberry, but never verified), 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.
Rita's Italian Ice, a U.S. chain which serves Italian ice and Frozen Custard, makes a red Swedish Fish flavored Italian ice as a cobranded product.
Trident, a gum company owned by Mondelez Global, LLC, carries a Swedish Fish flavor of their Trident Layers line, which is advertised as being a "Berry + Lemon" flavor (Berry top and bottom, Lemon in the middle).
In 2016, Nabisco created a test-market product Swedish Fish Oreos, available at Kroger grocery stores nationwide.