Are Swedish Fish Vegan, Kosher and Halal?
Candies are one of the most irresistible things that make us lose all the self-restraint we have. No matter how many times we try to control the craving for it, but whenever we see some colorful candy, all the wisdom vanishes in seconds!
But for a vegan, things cannot get out of control before knowing how a particular candy is made. Just think that you suddenly want to eat Swedish Fish, but you can’t because the dilemma still lingers – are Swedish Fish vegan?
So, we have scrutinized a number of candies like Pop Tarts, Sour Patch Kids, Lifesavers, Airheads, Starburst and many more for its vegan status. And now, let’s find out if the Swedish Fish candies are vegan or not to include or exclude this popular sweet treat from your plant-based diet.
What Are Swedish Fish?
The U.S. market is filled with a fish-shaped candy, named Swedish Fish, first created by a Swedish candy maker around the 1950s. They are chewy candies which were red colored in the very beginning, but now come in vibrant colors with various flavors such as lemon-lime and orange. The wrapper around Swedish Candy claims that they are “a fat free food”, but like many of the claims, it can be a myth. You can read further to get all the answers.
Ingredients in Swedish Fish
The basic ingredients which are used to make Swedish Fish are –
- Sugar
- Invert Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Modified Corn Starch
- Citric Acid (less than 2%)
- White Mineral Oil
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Red 40 (check Red 40’s Vegan status)
- Carnauba Wax
Among the above ingredients, sugar, Natural and artificial colors are debatable ingredients as they are considered animal-derived by some vegans. Sugar is considered non-vegan as many consider refining of sugar is done by bone char which is animal-derived.
But, that is not the fact with all sugar brands. Then comes natural and artificial colors, most of which are tested on animals. So, some vegans consider them a non-vegan ingredient. It is a completely accidental vegan food for most vegans.
As all vegans do not follow same restrictions, the decision about which ingredient is vegan and which one is not, is completely based on an individual’s point of view. However, if you want to find some good alternatives of refined sugar for home use, then rice syrup and beet sugar are the best options as they are totally free from the bone char.
While the regular Swedish Fish is considered to be totally a vegan-friendly candy, the peg bag ones, which can be found in vending machines, contain beeswax (check beeswax’s vegan status) and some contain gelatin. So, it’s very important to check out the ingredient list every time.
Are Swedish Fish Healthy?
After knowing that Swedish Fish are ”a fat-free food”, one may think of these candies being healthy. But, that’s not quite the case. Swedish Fish do not have any necessary nutrients which your body needs in a day. There are no vitamins, minerals, and iron.
Swedish Fish contains sugar and artificial colors in higher quantities which, if consumed on a daily basis, might lead to any heart disease, diabetes or some chronic conditions. Plus, Red 40 is very notorious for contributing to hyperactivity in children. So, you must treat yourself once in a while only.
Are Swedish Fish Gluten-free?
Yes, Swedish Fish are gluten-free candies. But the company which produces this popular candy, Mondelēz, doesn’t have dedicated lines for each of their product. So, the chance of contamination is still there.
Nevertheless, Mondelēz assures that they fully sanitize the lines before they switch to manufacturing the next product and if there is a probability of contamination, all the details are going to be mentioned in the packaging.
Assorted Swedish Fish Ingredients
Apart from the original red color, Swedish Fish candies are available in many vibrant colors with different flavors associated to them. The yellow ones contain lemon flavor, the green ones lime, the purple colored ones have grape flavor and the orange ones have orange flavor.
The ingredients which are found in Assorted Swedish Fish are –
- Sugar
- Inverted Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Modified Corn Starch
- Citric Acid
- White Mineral Oil
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Carnauba Wax
- Red 40
- Yellow 6
- Yellow 5
- Blue 1
Are Assorted Swedish Fish Vegan?
Yes, the Assorted Swedish Fish are vegan. Both the regular packaged and the peg bag Assorted Swedish Fish are fully vegan-friendly.
The ingredient list of the Assorted Swedish Fish on the website of Mondelēz is totally vegan-friendly. The ingredients which are used in the making of Swedish Fish are quite the same for these candies too. The only noticeable thing is the use of many other food coloring additives like E631 and Red 40.
The ingredients of these coloring are not always clearly stated. So, you must careful look at the ingredients before you purchase any Swedish candy from the Assorted ones section.
Conclusion
It’s always safe to know what’s in your food before you indulge in it. Checking the ingredient-list makes you aware of any unwanted element which can cause certain allergies. For vegans, not looking at the packaging minutely is close to committing a crime, even if that particular product is known as vegan-friendly.
The same food is available in a variety of packaging and in most of the cases, the ingredients also are different. Just like the case of Swedish Fish. The regular packaged Swedish Fish has no non-vegan ingredient but the peg bag ones contain gelatin and beeswax. So, each and every product has to be checked before it’s bought. You can check our scrutiny on various other candies like Dum Dums, Skittles and Twizzlers for its vegan status.
