# Hi-Chew > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hi-Chew > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hi-Chew.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Chew > Source revision: 1356171695 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Japanese fruit chew confectionary}} {{Infobox Japanese snack |snack_name = Hi-Chew |jpname = ハイチュウ (haichū) |package_image = File:Hi-Chew.jpg |contents_image = |maker = [Morinaga & Company](/source/Morinaga_%26_Company) |ingredients = [Gelatin](/source/Gelatin), fruit flavoring, sugar |flavours = Watermelon, strawberry, green apple, dragon fruit, mango, orange, grape, peach, banana, melon, cherry, kiwi, açai, pineapple, blueberry, raspberry, black cherry, lemon and passion fruit, rainbow sherbet, blue hawaii, blue raspberry, and cola }} {{nihongo|'''Hi-Chew'''|ハイチュウ|Haichū}} is a brand of chewy [candy](/source/candy) made by the Japanese confectionary company [Morinaga & Company](/source/Morinaga_%26_Company). Introduced in 1975, Hi-Chew is known for its soft, elastic texture that is often described as being between [chewing gum](/source/chewing_gum) and soft [taffy](/source/taffy_(candy)), and for its wide range of fruit and dessert-inspired flavors. Each piece typically consists of a flavored interior surrounded by a lighter outer layer. Hi-Chew is sold across Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. It has become one of Morinaga’s flagship international brands, with more than 170 flavors having been released. In the United States, the brand has seen rapid growth since the 2010s, supported by expanded distribution, marketing partnerships, and the opening of a domestic production facility in [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina) in 2016. == Origin == The origins of Hi-Chew trace back to the 1930s, when Morinaga & Co. founder [Taichiro Morinaga](/source/Taichiro_Morinaga) conceived of creating an edible alternative to chewing gum that would avoid the Japanese taboo against removing food from one's mouth in public.{{cite web|title=Hi-Chew "FAQ"|url=https://www.hi-chew.com/faq/|access-date=2018-04-12|archive-date=2023-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227085435/https://www.hi-chew.com/faq/|url-status=live}} In 1931, Morinaga & Co. developed a candy called Chewlets by combining chewy caramel with fruit flavorings. Although [World War II](/source/World_War_II) brought the business to a halt, the company rebuilt itself after the war, and Chewlets evolved into the Hi-Chew format that the company introduced in 1975.{{cite web|title=Hi-Chew "Our Story"|url=http://hi-chew.com/#/our-story|access-date=2012-01-30|archive-date=2023-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227085502/https://www.hi-chew.com/#/our-story|url-status=live}} == Description == Hi-Chew candies are individually wrapped in logo-stamped foil or plain white wax paper (depending on the location). Each individual candy piece has an outer white coating (the same for most flavors) and a colored, flavored interior. Exceptions to the rule are the Strawberry Cheesecake, Yogurt, [Cotton Candy](/source/Cotton_Candy), Sweet and Sour Mix, Superfruit Mix, and Fantasy Mix flavors, which have a colored outer coating with a white, flavored inside, whereas the Cola-flavored Hi-Chews are brown. The texture is similar to a cross between chewing gum and fruit-flavored candies in the United States and other western countries, such as the German brand [Mamba](/source/Mamba_(candy)) or the British brand [Starburst](/source/Starburst_(candy)).{{cite journal |last=CHIARELLA |first=TOM |date=August 9, 2011 |title=Welcome to Goslingland |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/ryan-gosling-interview-0911-2 |journal=Esquire Magazine |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc. |accessdate=November 18, 2013 |archive-date=November 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114070544/http://www.esquire.com/features/ryan-gosling-interview-0911-2 |url-status=dead }} Hi-Chew is sold in many countries around the world, including Taiwan, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Special editions are sometimes released, normally focusing on a specific fruit farmed in Japan and the location where they are grown; examples include [Seto Inland Sea](/source/Seto_Inland_Sea) lemon and [Okinawa](/source/Okinawa_Prefecture)n [Shikuwasa](/source/Citrus_depressa). Beginning in 2012, Hi-Chew became a [gluten](/source/gluten)-free product. Although the candy never actually contained gluten ingredients, it had been processed in factories that processed gluten.{{cite web|title=Hi-Chew is Now Gluten-Free|url=http://www.morinaga-america.com/2012/01/hi-chew-is-now-gluten-free/|access-date=2014-06-13|archive-date=2014-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714193311/http://www.morinaga-america.com/2012/01/hi-chew-is-now-gluten-free/|url-status=dead}} It contains [gelatin](/source/gelatin) ingredients derived from pork, so it is not [halal](/source/halal), [kosher](/source/kosher), or [vegetarian](/source/vegetarian).{{cite web|title=Hi-Chew FAQ|url=https://www.hi-chew.com/faq//|access-date=2018-04-12|archive-date=2018-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412145455/https://www.hi-chew.com/faq//|url-status=live}} Hi-Chew's ingredients include [glucose](/source/glucose) syrup, [sugar](/source/sugar), [hydrogenated](/source/hydrogenated) [palm kernel oil](/source/palm_kernel_oil), [gelatin](/source/gelatin), natural and artificial flavors, [strawberry juice](/source/strawberry_juice) from concentrate, DL-[malic acid](/source/malic_acid), [citric acid](/source/citric_acid), [emulsifiers](/source/emulsifiers), [sodium lactate](/source/sodium_lactate) solution, and natural colors ([beta-carotene](/source/beta-carotene), [carmine](/source/carmine)).{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions | Hi-Chew |url=http://www.hi-chew.com/faqs |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828022523/http://www.hi-chew.com/faqs |archivedate=2012-08-28 }} It may contain soybeans. The product also may be processed in facilities which use dairy products. ==In the United States== After seeing increased sales in [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City) in the early 2010s attributed to [Latter-Day Saint missionaries](/source/Mormon_missionary) who had visited Japan, Hi-Chew began a [marketing campaign](/source/marketing_campaign) with [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) players. U.S. sales grew from $8 million in 2012 to more than $100 million in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Mull |first=Amanda |date=2022-08-31 |title=Foreign Candy Puts American Candy to Shame |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/08/foreign-international-candy-snacks-japan/671291/ |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}} Hi-Chew is available in many flavors in the United States, including: {{columns-list|colwidth=10em| * [candy apple](/source/candy_apple), * [strawberry ice cream](/source/strawberry_ice_cream), * [key lime pie](/source/key_lime_pie), * Blue Hawaii (a citrus and pineapple flavor), * [blue raspberry](/source/Blue_raspberry_flavor), * [rainbow sherbet](/source/rainbow_sherbet), * [raspberry](/source/raspberry), [blueberry](/source/blueberry), * [black cherry](/source/black_cherry), * [watermelon](/source/watermelon), * [green apple](/source/apple), * [dragonfruit](/source/dragonfruit), * [strawberry](/source/strawberry), * [grapefruit](/source/grapefruit), * [kiwi](/source/Kiwifruit), * [mango](/source/mango), * [grape](/source/grape), * [lemon](/source/lemon), * [açai](/source/A%C3%A7a%C3%AD_palm), * [cola](/source/cola), * [ramune](/source/ramune), * [banana](/source/banana), * plain yogurt, * blueberry yogurt, * strawberry yogurt, * [lilikoi](/source/Passiflora_edulis), * [pineapple](/source/pineapple){{cite web |title=Flavors |url=https://www.hi-chew.com/flavors/ |website=HI-CHEW™ |access-date=2022-09-11 |archive-date=2022-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911014336/https://www.hi-chew.com/flavors/ |url-status=live }} }} Hi-Chew Sours and Hi-Chew Bites were released in February 2016. Hi-Chew Sours flavors include lemon, watermelon, and grapefruit. Hi-Chew combos contain two flavor blends, tropical smoothie (passionfruit plus mango) and [piña colada](/source/pi%C3%B1a_colada) (pineapple plus coconut). Hi-Chew plus fruit contain two flavors plus real fruit bits: orange plus tangerine and red apple plus strawberry. Hi-Chew Bites are soft chew candy blended with already established flavors, "grape and strawberry" and "mango and orange".{{cite web|url=https://www.hi-chew.com/products/|title=Hi-Chew Products|access-date=2018-04-12|archive-date=2018-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330011605/http://www.hi-chew.com/products|url-status=live}} Since its inception, over 170 flavors of Hi-Chew have been created. In 2016, Hi-Chew opened its first production factory in [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina).{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=2016-05-26 |title=Morinaga Celebrates Hi-Chew Factory Opening |url=https://chapelboro.com/news/business/morinaga-celebrates-hi-chew-factory-opening |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=Chapelboro.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417160236/https://chapelboro.com/news/business/morinaga-celebrates-hi-chew-factory-opening |url-status=live }} In early 2018, Hi-Chew began a contest known as "East meets West"; user-submitted votes decide which of their Japanese line of flavors should be introduced to a Western audience. On April 11, 2018, Hi-Chew's [Instagram](/source/Instagram) account officially announced that [dragonfruit](/source/Pitaya) had won the competition and would be coming to the United States the following year.{{cite web|title=East meets West|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BhcCbTUgqEH/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BhcCbTUgqEH |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=registration}}{{dead link|date=July 2022}}{{cbignore}} ==Product recall== In 2008, Morinaga recalled some of its Hi-Chew products due to complaints that [rubber](/source/rubber)-like material had been found in the candy. It was discovered that a piece of a worker's glove had fallen into a cooking vat at the [Hyogo](/source/Hy%C5%8Dgo_Prefecture) Morinaga factory.{{cite web|title=Morinaga issues recall of Hi-chew candy|url=http://www.japanprobe.com/2008/11/14/morinaga-issues-recall-of-hi-chew-candy/|access-date=2012-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005201057/http://www.japanprobe.com/2008/11/14/morinaga-issues-recall-of-hi-chew-candy/|archive-date=2016-10-05|url-status=dead}} Some of the affected products had been exported to [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong); the Centre for Food Safety monitored the situation there, warning the public against its purchase or consumption.{{cite web|title=Recall of Sweets Due to Possible Contamination with Small Rubber Pieces|url=http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fa/whatsnew_fa_68_recall_of_sweets.html|access-date=2012-01-30|archive-date=2023-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227085656/http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fa/whatsnew_fa_68_recall_of_sweets.html|url-status=live}} == See also == * [Puccho](/source/%3Aes%3APuccho) (Spanish Wikipedia) * [Chewits](/source/Chewits) == References == {{reflist}} == External links == *[https://hi-chew.com/ Hi-Chew official website] Category:Japanese snack food Category:Japanese brand foods Category:Morinaga & Company Category:Candy --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hi-Chew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Chew) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Chew?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.