![]() “It’s like a Taylor Swift concert down there!” says Gindlesperger from the relative tranquility of the press room. More than 800 exhibitors filled 210,000 square feet with no empty booths there was also a waiting list more than 100 names long of companies hoping for a last-minute vacancy. The ballroom itself was packed, as was the smaller Skyline Ballroom across the hall, as retailers and brokers and mascots maneuvered their way through the narrow aisles. The line of convention-goers waiting to check-in and receive their badges and sample bags outside the grand ballroom extended well past the velvet ropes and halfway down the main concourse. Call it self-care, only it’s way less expensive than a spa day or even a scented candle.įor the first time since 2019, the Expo was back up to full strength. ![]() We’re meeting the moment.” In other words, if you’re feeling the least bit sad or stressed about the state of… everything, take a few seconds for a handful of cheese puffs or a bite-sized piece of chocolate or a sour gummy. “Physical well-being is as important as emotional well-being,” Gindlesperger continues. The buzzword of this year’s gathering, used by Expo officials and vendors alike, was “affordable indulgence.” Best of all, everyone seemed to have given up on the charade that highly processed foods like chips and candy could maybe, possibly, be considered healthy, a trend I had noticed at previous Expos, when manufacturers of cookies and pork rinds tried to argue that their products had actual nutritional value. ![]() Profits for both sweet and salty treats have increased 11 percent over the past year, according to Candy & Snack Today, the Expo’s official publication. Instead, Gindlesperger and his colleagues preferred to accentuate the positive. But the sweets and snacks industry is all about happiness, so no one dwelled too long on these sad facts.
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