Goldfish are fish-shaped cheese crackers manufactured by Pepperidge Farm, which is a division of the Campbell Soup Company. The crackers have been available in several varieties and, since 1962, 40% of the crackers contain a small imprint of an eye and a smile. The brand's current marketing and product packaging incorporate this feature of the product: "The Snack That Smiles Back! Goldfish!", reinforced by Finn, the smiling mascot with sunglasses. The product is marketed as a "baked snack cracker" on the label with various flavors and varieties.
History
Originally invented by Oscar J. Kambly at Swiss biscuit manufacturer Kambly in 1958 to celebrate his wife who was a pisces, Goldfish snacks were introduced to the United States in 1962 by Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin.
Flavors
Goldfish come in many varieties, but start/end dates of availability are unknown:
Goldfish are exported and sold in countries around the world. In the UK, they are sold under the name "Finz", but the product is identical. In Switzerland, the original Goldfish flavor is marketed under the brand name Goldfischli.
Spin-offs
Pepperidge Farm has created several spin-off products including Goldfish Sandwich Crackers, Flavor-Blasted Goldfish, Goldfish bread, multi-colored Goldfish, and Baby Goldfish. There are also seasonably available color-changing Goldfish, colored Goldfish. There was reportedly once a line of Goldfish cookies in vanilla and chocolate; chocolate has reappeared in the "100 calorie" packs. Goldfish noodles also can be found in Campbell's chicken noodle, tomato, and meatball soup. The Goldfish shaped noodles in the tomato soup have been discontinued.
Legal issues
In 1999, Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm won a court case involving Nabisco's Cheese NipsCatDog crackers that had fish-shaped crackers that resembled Goldfish. The court ordered Nabisco to refrain from using the goldfish shape and to recall all their products that included the fish shape.
Recalls
On July 23, 2018, Pepperidge Farms was notified by one of its ingredient suppliers that whey powder may have the presence of salmonella. The Flavored Blasted Xtra Cheddar crackers were recalled due to a possible risk of the salmonella outbreak. Three other Goldfish varieties were also recalled due to contamination of the salmonella bacterium caused by whey powder. The contaminated varieties of Goldfish were immediately removed from all stores they were sold at following the recall.
Popular culture
liked Goldfish crackers so much, that on Thanksgiving, she often put out a bowl, alongside her famous reverse martini.
