At the mid-point of 2012, readers of Meat&Poultry and online subscribers to www.meatpoultry.com are reaping the benefits of a publishing team that is following through on a promise made at the beginning of the year. In this very column back in January, I wrote of the continued investment in Meat&Poultry’s content, in the form of the new Morning Dispatch e-newsletter, the hiring of a full-time Web editor dedicated to the print magazine’s online products and the introduction of the Meat&Poultry App for iOS devices (iPhones and iPads). Those projects have flourished, delivering thousands of new impressions per day to www.meatpoultry.com and scores of new App downloads each day. Interaction with online and in-print readers is at an all-time high too, thanks to the timely nature of M&P’s monthly features, responses to the twice daily newsletters, and more than 1,100 Twitter followers of: @MEATPOULTRY.

The most recent addition to www.meatpoultry was this month’s introduction of “The Processors Channel,” the industry’s first, dedicated link to online processing and technology demonstrations produced exclusively by M&P’s video production team for supplier and processing partners. The initial response to "The Processors Channel" has been overwhelmingly positive and requests for future projects are mounting by the day.

Meanwhile, the investment in Meat&Poultry in print continues. The industry has come to expect the most authoritative editorial content in the pages of M&P, which requires a significant and sustained investment, literally and figuratively. The most recent addition to the editorial masthead is Donna Berry, a food scientist who is widely regarded as the authority when it comes to covering formulation and ingredient trends for not only meat processing, but a variety of food and beverage applications. We are proud to debut Berry’s work in this issue (see “Flavor adventure,” Page 58) and look forward to a longstanding partnership with her in the future. This current issue typifies the editorial firepower M&P readers have come to expect. Where else can industry professionals peruse features focusing on Hormel’s Austin, Minn., plant; Cargill’s Waco, Texas, plant; insightful Corporate Profiles on JBS and Tyson written by Steve Kay; and industry perspectives from industry-icon, Dr. Temple Grandin – all in one issue?

Next month, look for a blockbuster cover story based on Steve Kay’s recent sit-down with Tyson’s Donnie Smith, Jim Lochner and Craig Bacon. In the second half of 2012, many more surprises are planned for readers of M&P and www.meatpoultry.com. The commitment to excellence is alive and well and the understanding that the investment in the editorial products M&P prints each month and online subscribers read each day is required to stay ahead of the pack.