WHAT'S IN THE LEADING BRANDS OF FISH STICKS?
FROZEN FISH STICKS
Information updated June 2023
A reader requested a look into Frozen Fish Sticks to see what’s inside and find out if there are commercial Fish Sticks which are made without vegetable oil. Unfortunately, no.
Since fresh Fish Sticks are traditionally fried in oil, oil is also included in manufactured Fish Sticks.
In order to create the crisp outer coating and to help “set” the ingredients on the fish, every commercial Fish Stick inspected for this review contains some form of oil.
HOMEMADE FISH STICKS: Ingredients for homemade Fish Sticks usually include these ingredients: White Fish (such as Alaska Pollock), Flour or Breadcrumbs, Baking Powder, Spices, possibly Eggs and an oil good for high heat cooking such as Avocado Oil.
Any ingredient not needed to make a homemade version of this item is designated as Not In Kitchen™.
Avocado Oil — extracted from the flesh of the fruit — is included here because it is excellent for high heat cooking like frying. Learn more about Avocado Oil and brands in the Ingredient Inspector review here:
COMMERCIAL FISH STICKS: Some Fish Sticks are made with Whole Fish Fillets — a single piece of fish — while others are made with Minced Fish of a Single Variety or Multiple Varieties blended together.
GORTON’S FISH STICKS
According to Statista 2023, Japanese Nissui-owned Gorton’s is the #1 brand of frozen seafood in the U.S.
Gorton’s Fish Sticks are made from Whole Alaska Pollock fish fillets. Alaska Pollock, also known as Walleye Pollock, is a member of the Cod family. (Source: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) It’s a firm white fish commonly used in Frozen Fish Sticks in the U.S. Gorton’s Fish Sticks contain Added Sugar, Added Flavor and commercial Soybean Oil which are all ingredients Not In Kitchen when making homemade Fish Sticks. (Source for ingredients: Nissui Gorton’s Web site 6/23)
GORTON’S THEN vs. NOW COMPARISON: Here’s a comparison of the ingredients which were in Gorton’s Fish Sticks decades ago vs. what’s in them today. Now, they have Added Sugar, Added Flavor and include Soybean Oil which did not exist in the older version. They are banned at Whole Foods for Sodium Aluminum Phosphate. (Sources: Historical Gorton’s Package and Nissui Gorton’s Web site 6/23; Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 6/23)
MRS. PAUL’ S FISH STICKS
Conagra owns two Brands of Frozen Seafood >> Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s.
According to Statista 2023, these two Conagra Brands are among the top 5 Branded Frozen Seafoods in the U.S.
Below is a snapshot of Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks which are made with Minced Pollock fish. The fish is Certified Sustainable Seafood by the Marine Stewardship Council, a third party certification program for fish caught in the wild. The MSC assesses Sustainable Fish Stocks, Environmental Impact and Efficiency Management. Learn about the MSC Standards here:
The Soybean Oil in Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks is an oil which has likely never been in your home kitchen >> This is a cheap commercial oil which is extracted using high heat and solvents.
Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks also contain Sugar and Dextrose. (Source for ingredients: Conagra Mrs. Paul’s Web site 6/23)
Dextrose is the sugar from which candies like Smarties are made.
CONAGRA FISH STICKS COMPARISON: Also owned by Conagra, Van de Kamp’s Fish Sticks contain the exact same ingredients as Mrs. Paul’s >> even the package graphics are the same. (Sources for ingredients: Conagra Mrs. Paul’s and Van de Kamp’s Web sites 6/23)
Following are the ingredients Not In Kitchen™ in several brands of Frozen Fish Sticks and Products — since the reader who requested this review was especially interested in oil, we have noted the oil(s) used in each one.
When you see ‘and/or’ in an ingredient label, the manufacturer is using whichever one of those oils was cheapest at the time of purchase >> how is this vague ‘and/or’ listing is still legally allowed? And when exactly did Cotton become a vegetable so that Cottonseed Oil can be called a ‘Vegetable Oil’? (Sources: Store Web sites 6/23)
GLUTEN FREE FISH STICKS: Following are the ingredients Not In Kitchen in three brands of Gluten Free Fish Sticks. (Sources for ingredients: Brand Web sites 6/23)
According to Dr. Catherine Shanahan, author of Deep Nutrition and The Fatburn Fix, all oils — even Expeller Pressed Canola Oils seen here — undergo multiple processing steps.
Discover products whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list .
Contact and follow us at:
And we leave you with a trio of Fish Sticks Flash Backs . . .
