This holiday shopping season is already shaping up to be merry and bright, according to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

When Editor-in-Chief Bernie Pacyniak asked if I’d be interested in shadowing the caramel portion of a Caramel, Fudge and Toffee course hosted by the Professional Manufacturing Confectioners Association (PMCA) at Savage Bros. in Elk Grove, Ill. last week (Nov. 7), I said what any reasonable person would: Absolutely.

CocoaAction began collecting data and rolling out community development and productivity practices last year. And they’ve made progress, according to the program’s new annual report, but there’s still a long way to go.

The scary-good Halloween spending projections from the National Retail Federation are no trick, but they sure are a treat.

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.

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.

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.

Last fall, Mars Chocolate North America launched the 3 Musketeers “#ThrowShine” campaign, designed to give young people a chance to spread positivity and good will. That’s opposed to “throwing shade,” a slang phrase for publicly criticizing someone on the Internet or otherwise.