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Foam shrimps
Pink, squashy and shaped like a shrimp, with nothing fishy about them: foam shrimps are one of the foam sweets. Three UK listings show how differently they can be made, right down to the flavour.
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Foam shrimps are pink, airy sweets shaped like shrimps. There is nothing fishy in them: like the other foam sweets, they are made by whipping a sugar syrup with gelatine so that it sets full of tiny air bubbles, much like marshmallow: see what are foam sweets made of?
Three listings, three recipes
Barratt Foam Shrimps, as listed by The Candy King. Sugar, glucose syrup, water, dextrose, beef gelatine, cornflour, beetroot red as a colour, and flavouring. The retailer calls them Barratt Raspberry Shrimps.
Berrymans Foam Shrimps. Sugar, glucose syrup, water, pork gelatine, sorbitol as a stabiliser, flavouring, carmine (E120) as a colour, palm kernel and coconut oils, and beeswax and carnauba wax as glazing agents. Berrymans describes them as strawberry flavoured.
Sweets Direct Foam Shrimps. Sugar, glucose syrup, pork gelatine, citric acid, flavouring and beetroot red. Sweets Direct also describes them as strawberry flavoured.
Pork or beef
Two of the three recipes use pork gelatine, and Barratt's uses beef gelatine. None is suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and the pork gelatine versions are not halal or kosher. Barratt's listing does not say whether its beef gelatine is halal: see what sweets have pork gelatine? and a guide to halal sweets
Where the pink comes from
- Beetroot red, in Barratt's and Sweets Direct's, is betanin, a red colour obtained from beets, with the E number E162.
- Carmine, E120, in Berrymans', is a red made from cochineal insects, so it is not suitable for vegans: see what is carmine?
Berrymans' recipe also has a beeswax glaze, a third animal ingredient after gelatine and carmine: see what is beeswax on sweets?
Allergy points
Berrymans says its foam shrimps are packed in a factory that handles nuts, and Sweets Direct says its may contain traces of nuts and peanuts. Berrymans marks its shrimps as gluten free and dairy free: see pick and mix and allergies
Foam cousins
For a yellow foam sweet made by Barratt, see foam bananas
In our pick and mix
We sell 
Foam Shrimps by the 100 g. Recipes differ between makers, so the card opens up to show the full ingredients and allergens for the foam shrimps we actually stock.
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Questions and answers
What are foam shrimps made of?
Recipes vary. Barratt's, as listed by one UK retailer: sugar, glucose syrup, water, dextrose, beef gelatine, cornflour, beetroot red and flavouring. Others use pork gelatine, and one adds carmine, beeswax and carnauba wax.
Do foam shrimps contain pork?
Some do. Two of the three UK listings here name pork gelatine. Barratt's names beef gelatine. The label is the only way to tell.
What flavour are foam shrimps?
It depends on the maker. Berrymans and Sweets Direct describe theirs as strawberry, while The Candy King calls Barratt's raspberry shrimps.
Are foam shrimps halal?
Not the pork gelatine versions. Barratt's use beef gelatine, but the listing does not say it is halal, so look for a clear halal label.
Sources
- Foam shrimps, Barratt, product listing, The Candy King
- Foam shrimps, Berrymans Sweets
- Foam shrimps, Sweets Direct
- Marshmallow, Wikipedia
- Betanin, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Questions people askWhat are foam sweets made of?Foam sweets like foam shrimps are made like marshmallow: sugar and syrup whipped full of air with gelatine. Some use pork gelatine, so check the label.
- Sweet by sweetFoam bananasFoam bananas are soft, airy banana flavoured sweets. The two recipes here use beef gelatine and turmeric yellow, and neither lists any banana.
- Questions people askWhat sweets have pork gelatine?Many gummy sweets use gelatine, and it can be pork. Standard Haribo Goldbears use pork gelatine, and Mondelez says its gelatine may be beef or pork.
- Questions people askWhat is carmine?Carmine, E120, is a deep red colour made from cochineal insects that live on cactus. It colours sweets, drinks and lipstick. Why vegans avoid it.
- Questions people askWhat is beeswax on sweets?Beeswax, E901, is the wax honey bees build their comb with. A thin coat gives sweets a shine and keeps moisture in. It is not vegan and cannot be digested.
- Diet, allergens and labelsA guide to halal sweetsA halal checklist for sweets: gelatine and its source, carmine, alcohol, glycerol and certification. What to look for, and why a halal mark matters.