From chocolate kisses to candy hearts, everyone has a favorite sweet treat that they like to indulge in for Valentine’s Day—but one particular treat has held the crown as top choice…until now. This year, you won’t be able to score America’s most popular Valentine’s Day candy anywhere.
It has always been a neck-and-neck race between candy conversation hearts and that traditional heart-shaped box of chocolates when it comes to most popular Valentine’s Day candy. In 2017, those candy hearts finally edged out the competition taking the number one spot and held on to it for the following year. But for 2019, things are not looking so good for those colorful, chatty little hearts.
The CandyStore.com blog predicts that sales of candy conversation hearts will drop by 80 percent this year. That’s because the maker of the original candy conversation Sweethearts, NECCO—that had been in operation for for over 100 years—suddenly went out of business last year. While there are several alternatives on the market, CandyStore.com estimates that Sweethearts brand accounted for more than 80 percent of the candies sold.
So what could replace all those missing candy hearts? Valentine’s themed Cupid’s Message M&Ms were on the rise last year and could easily win over those looking for something sweet with a message. And hopefully, this year will be the only year without our beloved SweetHearts. According to Spangler Candy, the new owners of SweetHearts and NECCO Wafers, those little hearts could be back on shelves in 2020, in time for those sweet Valentine’s Day exchanges.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Maira Gallardo via Unsplash
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