While chocolate may be the king when it comes to popular candy choices, I’ve always been a sucker for gummy candy. Its chewy, fruity sweetness can’t be beat.
I like the Gummy Tummies sometimes sold at Aldi’s cousin, Trader Joe’s. I also recently discovered Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers gummy candy, which is a favorite among fans who frequently shop at TJ’s. As the name implies, these fish-shaped gummy candies are an alliterative riff off of name-brand Swedish Fish candy.
Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers cost $2.99 for a 14-oz. bag at the time of publication.
They come in two flavors: regular or super sour. They’re kosher and gluten free, and they get their bright colors from natural ingredients such as fruit and vegetable juices and extracts.
Read on for a closer look at each of the varieties.
Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers
These are reminiscent of Swedish Fish, with the same stick-to-your-teeth gummy texture.
Each color is a different sea creature. Red is a lobster, greenish-blue is a dolphin, yellow is a seahorse, and orange is a rock fish. I especially like the red lobster gummies for their novelty. Where else can you find gummy candy shaped like a crustacean?
A six-piece serving has 100 calories, no fat , 26 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), and 19 grams of added sugars.
Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Ingredients are: cane sugar, invert sugar, tapioca syrup, modified cornstarch, dextrose, citric acid (acidifier), natural flavors, fruit and vegetable extracts for color (pumpkin, carrot, black carrot, black currant, and apple), sodium citrate, spirulina (for color), organic sunflower oil, and organic carnauba wax.
These may contain traces of peanut, almond, cashew, or pecan.
Trader Joe’s Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers
If sour is more your game, these have a mild sour taste, but they’re not sour like other gummy candy such as Sour Patch Kids. They’re coated with a sour sugar coating, which gives them a different texture compared to the regular Scandinavian Swimmers candy above.
Once again, each color is shaped like a different sea creature, although the sugar coating makes it so you can’t see the details as clearly. Red is a starfish, peach is a seashell, orange is a tang fish, and green is a dolphin.
A six-piece serving has 110 calories, no fat, 28 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), and 21 grams of added sugars.
Trader Joe’s Super Sour Scandinavian Swimmers nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Ingredients are: cane sugar, invert sugar, tapioca syrup, modified cornstarch, citric acid (acidifier), dextrose, natural flavors, palm oil, sodium citrate, and colored added (fruit juice, vegetable juice, spirulina extract, and annatto extract).
These may contain traces of milk.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Scandinavian Swimmers are gummy candies shaped like sea creatures such as lobsters, dolphins, fish, seashells, and seahorses. They come in regular or sour flavors and make for a fun treat or snack.
