Treat Thyself
I have been noticing that many Americans have adopted a new attitude toward life coming out of the Pandemic mess that caused so much interruption to our lives. I believe that many realized, upon much reflection, that time can go by very fast when your busy with work, family, and other commitments, and somehow we managed to breeze through life without taking a moment to stop and smell the roses. Once we had to stop for a reason that was completely out of our control, we realized that the roses can be quite fragrant and colorful, and deserve our admiration for a few moments because it makes life more rewarding. Many have made the decision, I think, to remember this important life lesson and have made themselves a promise to treat themselves more frequently.
I think this mentality has made its way to our attitude towards consuming treats too. Why not brighten one’s day by consuming one of the fantastic chocolate bars being made by one of the skilled confectionary artisans for an afternoon snack. As you will see from the story written by my colleague Marilyn Hirsch in this issue, some sweet consumption can actually be a healthy thing, and add to the diversity of our snack choices too.
I had the pleasure of attending the ISM show in Cologne, Germany earlier in the year to learn about the latest new introductions to the sweets category from the suppliers of the world, and especially Europe. This annual convention is really an important show on the calendar because it brings together buyers, sellers, importers and distributors from every corner of the world. If you want to be up to date on everything that is sweet, and don’t mind sampling a few of the delicacies, you will absolutely consider it time well spent. In this issue you will learn about some of the interesting products I discovered during the show.
Snacks on the savory and healthy end of the snacking spectrum are still on trend, and we bring you up to date on the newest offerings in the category in case you want to taste a sample at the upcoming Sweets & Snacks Expo taking place in Indianapolis this month.
