NEW YORK – All you would-be romantics out there might want to be careful as Valentine's Day approaches. According to an investigative report conducted by CBS 2 HD in New York City, five out of six bags of Valentine's Day treats purchased in the city were inedible as some stores appear to be fobbing off last year's goodies as fresh.
According to the investigation, these chocolates weren't just the bargain stuff. Some were described as "the finest truffles." The products were found to have shown signs of improper storage including chocolates that had been melted and reshaped.
Worse, some showed the tell-tale white streaks chocolate fanciers call a "bloom" which indicates stale candy. If that weren't bad enough, the CBS team purchased a giant Hershey's Kiss that was riddled with worms.
The Hershey's Kiss was purchased at New York City's Nut City on 2nd Avenue. When the item was taken back to the store, the manager indicated his store wasn't responsible because the candy was purchased from another company. The store did remove the rest of its supply off the shelves.
But there is good news here. The CBS investigative team noted that food poisoning was rare from eating rotten chocolate. It also noted that one may, however, get an upset stomach.
So how can consumers avoid this from happening to them? Chocolate manufacturers told the CBS team that while chocolate has a shelf life of up to six months, it's always best to check the expiration dates.
Excuse-moi, garçon...this is off the menu, but could you just bring us a bowl of melted chocolate for dipping? Hold the invertebrates, s'il-vous plait.
