Greetings friends and associates,

This month we publish the final print edition of Functional Ingredients magazine. I told my daughter it’s the way of the world. She said, “But Dad, I like flipping through J-14 magazine and tearing out pages and showing friends!” I said, “Yeah, but how about if you were looking at it on your iPad and with a single click you could send a story to a friend, or post it to your Facebook page, or check out a video that goes with the story?” She said, “Yeah, that’d be cool.”

So the adventure continues – only you’re going to have to read and watch coverage of all things nutritional ingredients the same way you get most of the rest of your reading material anymore – the same way you’re reading this note right here – on your favorite screen. It might be your iPhone or Droid. It could be a tablet. Maybe it’s your laptop or desktop computer screen.

It’s okay. We know. I was about to say that I still like reading a good book in bed at night, but I did download my first e-book on my new Kindle this summer, and I heard on NPR today that an online book publisher called Scribd is now partnering with the biggest book publishers in New York to offer readers online books, with a subscription base that already is approaching 80 million customers. It’s the Netflix of public libraries. I can dig it.

I’d like to point out a few things I’ve heard you say you look forward to every month in Functional Ingredients. Stuff that you can still see, exclusively with Functional Ingredients, only on a more updated basis, searchable, sharable, portable. These are a few of your favorite things:

·      Conventional Wisdom Watch

·      Ideal Ingredient Calling Card

·      Science Now

·      Select Suppliers mini-directory

·      Research Capsule

·      New Ingredients / New Products

·      15 Minutes

The Sound of Nutrition video series (Thanks, Mic LeBel, at Planet Friendly PR, for introducing yourself to me at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore in September. When I asked how you knew me, you said it was these videos – our attempt at cornball edu-tainment. We’re in business, but we also like to have fun. Who doesn’t?)

We also have a robust suite of exclusive Functional Ingredients How-To videos, which can help quickly answer your most pressing questions related to business practices, regulatory concerns, raw material sourcing methods, product ideation and innovation, and more. If you have a question you’d like us to address, give me a shout. I’m at [email protected], or message me on Twitter @ToddRunestad.

With that, I’ll see you at newhope360.com/supply for more of the same. Or via our eNewsletters – go here to sign up. Daily, weekly, targeted, we’re here to serve. Or (my personal favorite) download the free Functional Ingredients app for your mobile device from the Apple Store or Google Play store.

I’ve been editing print media for half my lifetime. It’s a helluva lot of fun. And it will continue to be, as we continue to bring you the world of nutritional ingredients, product innovation, with just enough levity to keep you coming back. Because there’s a lot of overlapping stories in the trade press. But we like to think our personality, insights, and keen sense of innovation sets us apart.