SweetHearts Are Back This Valentine’s Day, But More Than Half of Them Are Blank

KURJANPHOTO, iStock via Getty Images
KURJANPHOTO, iStock via Getty Images

Valentine's Day 2019 was a dark time for anyone used to expressing their feelings through candy. Following the demise of the New England Confectionary Company, or Necco, in 2018, SweetHearts were missing from shelves. This year, SweetHearts have a new owner, and it was so eager to get them out in time for Valentine's Day 2020 that many of the conversation hearts are missing their familiar sayings.

Spangler Candy Company acquired the former Necco candy in September 2018, which means manufacturers have had more than a year to perfect their production of SweetHearts. But some kinks still need to be worked out; according to CandyStore.com, 97 percent of the conversation hearts it reviewed didn't have a complete, legible phrase on them. Some bore partial prints or illegible markings, but the majority—65 percent—were totally blank. This data was based on 10 boxes containing more than 230 SweetHearts altogether.

Transporting the candy-making equipment from the old Necco factory in Boston to Spangler's headquarters in Ohio was just one challenge the company faced. When the machines were reassembled, Spangler realized the printer necessary to make SweetHearts's cutesy sayings was broken. It had to settle for a replacement printer, which as CandyStore.com's review shows, also didn't work according to plan.

Spangler's production hiccups spell bad news for fans of the candy. Fewer boxes are being shipped to stores, which means that you may have trouble finding them if you wait to do your Valentine's Day candy shopping until February 13.

Though their signature feature is missing, the SweetHearts still have their classic taste; Spangler used the original recipe from 1902. The production errors might also make them more desirable to collectors of rare candy, so unless you want to miss out on SweetHearts two Valentine's Days in a row, pick them up sooner rather than later.

[h/t CandyStore.com]

New Food Emojis Are Coming in 2020—Plus a Toothbrush

Emojipedia
Emojipedia

The emoji keyboard on your phone makes it possible to talk about vampires, dinosaurs, and yoga without typing a word. But if you want to use emojis to invite a friend to grab bubble tea, you're out of luck. That's about to change—as The Takeout reports, several food-themed emojis have made it into Unicode's new additions for 2020, including boba, blueberries, and tamale.

Emoji 13.0 comprises 117 emojis that will be made available to iOS and Android users in the second half of the year. New pictographs have been added to the animal, smiley, and random object categories, but texters who primarily use emojis to describe their meals also have plenty to be excited about.

In addition to the emojis listed above, Unicode is adding green bell pepper, green olive, flatbread, and fondue to its library. The fondue emoji features a flame under a pot decorated to look like the flag of Switzerland, the cheesy delight's country of origin.

The list of foodstuff emojis ends there, but some other new entries could pass for food-adjacent. After texting a feast's worth of food symbols, you'll soon be able to punctuate your conversation with a toothbrush.

You can see Unicode's preview of all 117 emojis for 2020 in the video below.

[h/t The Takeout]

Keep Your Food and Wine Fresh for Longer With These Vacuum Lids

Equilibric
Equilibric

Despite how carefully you try to store your leftovers, most plastic containers aren't airtight, and oxygen is often the culprit behind why food and wine lose their flavor or spoil so quickly. But Equilibric is looking to solve this issue with their Freshly! vacuum lids, which they say can keep food fresh for five times longer than standard plastic containers.

The company just launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Freshly!, which you can back starting at $69. With this pledge, you'll receive three lids of different sizes, a wine seal, and the handheld vacuum used to give your food a proper seal.

The product is easy to use: Simply put the lid on whichever container you wish to seal, attach the vacuum to the air valve, press the button on the vacuum, and your food is ready to store in a matter of seconds. When you’re ready to eat, open the air valve, remove the lid, and enjoy.

When air comes into contact with your food, it can promote the growth of both mold and bacteria. Similarly, when air comes into contact with your open bottle of wine, it can kick off a process called oxidation, which is why your vino can taste flat after it's been opened. But when you use a Freshly! lid, you’re storing your food or drink in "an oxygen-less environment."

The dishwasher-safe lids are universal, so they don’t need to perfectly match the dimensions of the container you are trying to seal. The largest size measures 10 inches in diameter and it's recommended for large salad bowls, pans, and skillets; the medium lid is 7.9 inches in diameter and is best for standard-sized bowls and lunchboxes; and the smallest lid is 5.7 inches in diameter and is recommended for cups.

Vacuum-seal lids for food
Equilibric

According to the campaign, Freshly! lids can keep dishes like cooked chicken fresh for up to 10 days, whereas it only keeps up to five days in regular plastic containers. On average, about 30 to 40 percent of food is thrown out in America, according to the USDA. So, not only will you keep leftovers longer, but the lids can help reduce your annual food waste.

This isn’t Equilibric’s first time making equipment that helps make life in the kitchen easier. They launched a Kickstarter campaign back in March 2019 for the balanced bowl-colander hybrid that helps cooks save time and water.

The campaign has already made more than $70,000, surpassing its original $7000 goal, but you can still help bring this project to life until February 23 by heading here.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we choose all products independently and only get commission on items you buy and don't return, so we're only happy if you're happy. Thanks for helping us pay the bills!

SECTIONS

arrow
LIVE SMARTER