The Untold Truth Of Swedish Fish

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If you're American, when you hear the term "Swedish Fish," your mind probably conjures up the image of a bite-size, red gummy candy in the shape of a scaled sea creature (and not, say, surströmming, the infamous fermented herring delicacy that dates back to the 16th century). But what exactly are Swedish Fish (the candy), and why are they called that? Are they actually from Sweden? Why are they shaped like fish in the first place? And what flavor is that famous red Swedish Fish even supposed to be?

We cast about for all the information you'll ever need to know about this iconic Halloween candy and netted some surprising facts about Swedish Fish. For instance, they're not made from the ingredients you may think they are, but they could potentially get you better customer service (this will make sense later).

Even if you're not a fan, Swedish Fish have an interesting history and obvious staying power (and not just in your teeth). The chewy sweets have inspired other Swedish Fish-flavored foods and drinks, and swim across the screen in Candy Crush Saga, where they go by the generic and slightly confusing name of Jelly Fish. Swedish Fish also happen to have some celebrity supporters — as well as their share of famous detractors, in case you're a hater who wants to feel validated in your dim view of these piscine sweets.

Love them or loathe them, it's time to plunge into the depths of Swedish Fish.

The classic crimson Swedish Fish is by far the most iconic example of the form, and people often guess that red Swedish Fish are supposed to taste like cherry, strawberry, raspberry, or fruit punch. Others just deem the taste "red" and leave it at that. In fact, red Swedish Fish are allegedly lingonberry flavored, though it's unclear if this is actually the case (via Twitter).

Lingonberries are small, tart fruits common in Sweden. They're frequently made into jam, jelly, and preserves (which you've no doubt seen accompanying Ikea's Swedish meatballs). The flavor of lingonberries is often described as similar to cranberries, but more complex, with notes of other berries, currants, and even pomegranate. Perhaps this complexity leads to confusion about Swedish Fish's flavor. Then again, it could be because artificial flavorings and colors imperfectly imitate the intended taste (via Reddit). Candy Blog notes that lingonberry pastellfiskar have a more prominent and nuanced flavor than American red Swedish Fish.

Swedish Fish also come in other colors and fruity flavors. More modern iterations include Tropical Swedish Fish, with passion fruit and piña colada flavors, as well as the vaguer "Beachy Punch;" Crush Soda-flavored Swedish Fish; and Swedish Fish Tails, which blend two flavors in each fish, such as watermelon-pineapple and raspberry-mango.

Pastellfiskar come in a whole array of flavors too, from sour blueberry, sweet ginger, and elderflower to a salted black licorice known as salmiak that is particularly beloved in Sweden (via Quora).

Swedish Fish are fat-free, but does that mean Swedish Fish are good for you? Well, they're still candy, so ... no. You won't be surprised to learn that they pack in a lot of sugar. In fact, sugar is the first ingredient in Swedish Fish (via Walmart). The second is ingredient is invert sugar, and the third is corn syrup.

Sugar is obviously present in candy primarily to give it its signature sweet taste, but it does more than that. Added sugar acts as a preservative in many processed foods, and certain types of sugar also contribute to a more refined and uniform texture and appearance. Very Well Fit describes how invert sugar helps foods retain moisture and achieve a softer, smoother texture by preventing sugar crystallization.

A single serving of Swedish Fish, which is five pieces of the standard size, contains 23 grams of sugar, or 46% of the average recommended daily intake. You're also looking at 110 calories and 27 grams of carbs.

It's easy to love a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or a Snickers bar, but Swedish Fish are divisive, and even their most ardent fans know this. Witness, for instance, the fact that a thread devoted to singing the praises of Swedish Fish was posted in the Unpopular Opinion community on Reddit.

The thread includes several people lauding the flavor and texture of Swedish Fish as incomparably delicious, waxing rhapsodic about their surprisingly not-too-sweet flavor, bright fruit notes, and pleasant chew. Some say they can never have enough, while others admire the fact that they don't feel compelled to power through an entire package at one time. Naturally, you have dissenters chiming in to take Swedish Fish down a peg or two.

Ultimately, though, these are all opinions, and you can always argue with those. Cold, hard facts are irrefutable. The data show that Swedish Fish are immensely popular. Candy Industry says that Swedish Fish continually dominate web search results in the non-chocolate candy category. Sales of Swedish Fish were up 4.7% year over year in 2021, raking in a net catch of $126.8 million (via Candy Industry). That may be in part thanks to Georgia, where, per Candy Store, Swedish Fish were the most popular Halloween candy in 2021, with 136,319 pounds sold.

To help meet this rising demand, according to the Consulate General of Canada in Denver, roughly 13 million Swedish Fish swim off the Hamilton, Ontario production line alone every day.

Some former fans of Swedish Fish believe they're not the same as they used to be. As recently as 2020, the issue was discussed on Reddit, with many expressing disappointment about the current flavor of Swedish Fish. Some speculated that the manufacturing process must have changed, though opinions differed as to precisely how the candy's attributes had shifted. One poster said they found Swedish Fish to be less soft and oily than they used to be, while others didn't notice any changes at all. 

Sour Patch Kids came up in this discussion too, which makes sense, since they are also manufactured by Mondelez. One poster said they tasted a difference between Sour Patch Kids made in Turkey and those made in Canada, so it could be that Swedish Fish taste slightly different based on where they're made as well. Similar grievances were aired on Facebook back in 2015, around the time the packaging was redesigned (via Dieline). So it's possible that tweaks were also made to the candy itself — or that there was some placebo effect involved.

One Reddit poster suggested it could simply be a matter of eating Swedish Fish too close to their sell-by date, as both the flavor and texture markedly deteriorate over time.

According to a Reddit post from a former tech support representative at an unnamed big box store, Swedish Fish may be able to hook you up with better customer service. The idea began germinating when another tech posted on an internal company forum about a customer who wanted to know how to show appreciation for a job well done. The tech who handled the issue said they liked Swedish Fish. A little later, they received a shipment of Swedish Fish as a thank you.

This inspired others on the forum to start including candy in packages of hardware shipped out to be serviced. They began comparing notes and found that hard drives shipped with candy in the box would be recovered and returned far more quickly than ones without it. The original Reddit poster decided to try the same trick elsewhere and confirmed that including candy nearly always resulted in faster, friendlier service.

Whether your motivations are mostly selfish or you genuinely enjoy finding ways to brighten others' days, it makes sense that offering an unexpected treat would generate warm feelings in those who rarely even get a word of thanks — and that they'd be moved to prioritize your request in return. If you're tempted to try it, several commenters point out that hard and gummy candies are the safest choice, since chocolate can melt. The candy doesn't have to be Swedish Fish, but it did all start with them.