• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Kathy's Vegan Kitchen
  • Recipes
  • Categories
    • Vegan Entrees
    • Breakfast
    • Sandwiches
    • Small Bites
    • Vegan Desserts
    • Sauces, Dips & Dressings
    • Vegan Sides
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • How-To
    • Our Vegan Life
  • Vegan Reviews
    • Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service
    • Purple Carrot Review
    • Veestro Review
    • Fresh N’ Lean Review
  • About
  • TOP 50 EBOOK
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • COMFORT FOOD
  • COOKBOOK
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT
    • RECIPES
    • COMFORT FOOD
    • COOKBOOK
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home

    Can Vegans Eat Swedish Fish Candies? Let's Find Out!

    Kathy's Vegan Kitchen is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.
    • Kathy Carmichael
    • November 30, 2021
    Are Swedish Fish Vegan

    Whether or not Swedish Fish is vegan for you largely depends on your personal definition of veganism and how strict of a vegan you are. Some ingredients present in this gummy treat, like sugar and palm oil, may seem vegan in principle, but the inverse may be true upon deeper consideration. 

    We’ll let you know all the ingredients that make up Swedish Fish to answer this question once and for all: are Swedish Fish vegan?

    What is Swedish Fish?

    Swedish Fish are fish-shaped candies with a chewy texture and the word Swedish across the fish body. They were originally distributed in a single color (red), but they have since expanded to include other bright colors, like yellow, orange, and green. 

    The original flavor of red Swedish Fish is lingonberry, a berry that grows exclusively in Europe (although some people were under the impression that this was a cherry-flavored snack). Other popular food flavors have also been added, such as orange and lemon-lime. There had been a grape-flavored fish in the color purple, but this was discontinued by 2006. 

    This chewy candy originated in Sweden by Swedish candy maker Malaco in the late 1950s to cater to the United States market.

    swedish fish

    Chipotle is one of the first fast-casual restaurants in the United States, and by 2020, they have expanded to over 2,500 locations worldwide, including Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.

    Are Swedish Fish Vegan-Friendly?

    Most Swedish Fish are vegan friendly, and those that are available in gas stations and vending machines are considered vegan and meet vegan standards. However, a few ingredients in this food product are deemed complicated and controversial by the vegan community. 

    We’ll be discussing all of them in detail below.

    Some Controversial Ingredients in Swedish Fish

    Some Controversial Ingredients in Swedish Fish

    Sugar

    You can almost always expect sugar to be one of the main ingredients in a packet of candy, but the question of whether or not sugar is vegan has been a hot debate in the vegan community for a while. 

    Sugar does not have any animal-derived product -- that much is true. However, the process in which this food sweetener is produced may be eyebrow-raising for some vegan purists. 

    The process of bone char filtering gives refined sugar its bone white color. In case you didn’t know, bone char is made from the ground bones of cattle, like cows and pigs. And although none of the bone char particles technically end up in the finished product, you can see why this ingredient is controversial to the vegan community. 

    Artificial Colors

    Artificial colors are technically vegan as they don’t make use of any animal products. However, these will almost always need to undergo a round of animal testing before they are added into food products to ensure that they are safe for human consumption. 

    Strict vegans avoid all products tested on animals, including candy and other food with artificial colors. 

    Natural & Artificial Flavors

    Most natural flavors in candies come from fruits and vegetables. However, there are times when “natural” might also mean meat and fish -- both animal-derived ingredients. But often, when this is the case, it will be indicated in the packaging.

    Related Posts:

    • Are M&M's Candies Vegan-Friendly?
    • Are Jolly Ranchers Candies Vegan-Friendly?
    • Are Sour Patch Candies Vegan-Friendly?

    Palm Oil

    Palm oil is extracted from the palm fruit that grows on the palm tree. So why is it on the controversial ingredients list? 

    Turns out, whether or not palm oil is vegan is not as black and white as it looks. 

    Palm oil plantations have notoriously displaced tropical forests across Asia, contributing to the habitat destruction of many animals living in the forest. It also emits methane in great quantities, one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases destroying the ozone layer. If that isn’t non-vegan, we don’t know what is.

    Vegan Chorizo

    Beeswax

    Beeswax is the reason why the chewy Swedish Fish candy doesn’t stick to each other, as it provides a glossy, protective coating over each fish. However, not all Swedish Fish products list beeswax in the ingredient list (some list carnauba wax as an alternative, which is vegan-approved). 

    Beeswax is a product that comes from the honeycomb of bees and is considered non-vegan by many strict vegans, much like what they think of honey. Beeswax and honey technically don’t contain any animal products, but the process in which they are produced is exploitative and damaging to the bees’ health and is the reason why bee numbers have been falling in the past ten years -- and is the reason why they’re not considered vegan. [1]

    Ultimately, whether or not you think beeswax (or honey) is vegan depends on you.

    If you're craving sweets, here's our yummy vegan apple crisp recipe!

    Swedish Fish Basic Ingredients

    Swedish Fish Basic Ingredients

    Regular Packaged Swedish Fish Vegan 

    Ingredients: Sugar, Invert Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, White Mineral Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Red 40, Carnauba Wax

    Peg Bag Packaging  

    Ingredients: Sugar, Invert Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Palm Kernel Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax, Red 40, Beeswax

    Assorted Swedish Fish  

    Ingredients: Sugar, Invert Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, White Mineral Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax, Red 40, Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow), Yellow 5, Blue 1

    FAQs

    Does Swedish Fish contain gelatin?

    No, Swedish Fish does not contain gelatin (an animal-derived product). Instead of gelatin, Mondelez uses corn syrup, modified corn starch, and carnauba wax to achieve that gummy texture, which means Swedish Fish are vegan friendly.

    Are Swedish Fish gluten-free?

    Yes, Swedish Fish are gluten-free! However, it’s important to note that Mondelez has a large factory. They will be making Swedish Fish alongside other food items that contain gluten, so there will always be a risk of cross-contamination.

    Key Takeaways

    Personally, we do consider Swedish Fish to be mostly vegan friendly, but whether or not you think similarly is ultimately up to you. We’re here to simply present the crucial facts you need once you make the choice that would be best for you and the environment. 

    We love hearing your thoughts! What do you think?

    Reference:

    1. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-305/beeswax
    About Author
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Affiliate Policy

    Cookbook

    • My Top 50 Recipe Cookbook!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About Me
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Made with ♥️ in Arizona.

    Copyright © Kathy's Vegan Kitchen :)