After nearly eight years as editor, on August 1, I succeeded my longtime colleague, mentor, and friend, Chris Luke, as publisher of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. 

We are poised at a significant point in time in the American snack industry. Over the past few years, at various points and to different degrees of intensity, we fortified ourselves with the necessities: sanitizer, toilet paper, and—yes—snacks. We are a nation of snackers, and we continually demonstrate our brand loyalty at the checkout counter—or internet shopping cart.

If there is one clear takeaway message from the time spanning from December 2019 until today, it’s that there isn’t a clear replacement for in-person connections. While we have proven that we’re adept at adapting when necessary, a Zoom call lacks the nuances and potential insights we can get from in-person meetings.