I admit it; it’s been a while since I had the opportunity to attend a Retail Confectioners International Regional Conference. As often is the case, I have plenty of excuses, beginning with budget restraints, scheduling conflicts and never-ending deadlines.

Several of my BNP Media colleagues and I attended PACK EXPO, staged by PMMI at the Las Vegas Convention Center last week. More than 2,000 exhibitors displayed their processing and packaging capabilities and equipment for thousands of attendees from across the globe — attendees who undoubtedly hit the Strip to blow off steam after long days at the show.

On July 1, consumers living in Cook County, a good chunk of Chicagoland, were greeted with a new tax, one that slapped a penny surcharge on every ounce of sweetened beverage, which included items such as soda, sports drinks, flavored water, energy drinks, pre-made sweetened coffee and tea with less than 50 percent milk content, among others.

On what may eventually come to be known as “Ruby Tuesday”— Sept. 5, 2017— industry giant Barry Callebaut introduced what they claim is a fourth type of chocolate, joining dark, milk, and white ... Ruby chocolate.

Want to know what’s coming around the corner? Take the time to digest these long-term shifts affecting consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

While looking at the calendar this morning, I got quite the shock. How is it already Aug. 30? This summer flew by. It seems like May’s Sweets & Snacks Expo and June’s National Candy Month were only yesterday.

Weather men cried, our president snuck a peak without wearing glasses, and millions celebrated in a solar kumbaya fashion with festivals and traffic nightmares. And there were some who thought about simply cowering underneath their desks until order was restored. 

It’s hard to believe that this week — yesterday, to be exact — marks my one-year anniversary as a full employee of Candy Industry Magazine. And what a year it has been.

As I sipped my coffee this morning, taking in the “fire and fury “ headline from the Chicago Tribune, I happened to notice a teaser headline in the Food & Dining section of the paper. “This is how much candy you can get for $5.”