As the industry heads into 2008, it faces myriad challenges, regardless of what side of the business your company sits. Processors, producers, retailers and suppliers of equipment and services to those companies all face a changing landscape.

Convenience and food safety are two topics that come to mind as hotbutton issues for 2008 — and these have spilled over from 2007, so most businesses should be on their way to addressing these concerns.

The industry, as always, has had to modify its strategies to meet the demands of consumers, no doubt. At The National Provisioner, it's no different. We have had to always be ready to turn on a dime to provide the best coverage of the meat- and poultryprocessing industry. You may have noticed that we changed our cover tagline to “The Authority on the Business of Meat and Poultry Processing,” and we truly believe that statement.

However, we cannot stagnate in our coverage of the issues that matter most to you and the challenges that keep you awake at night. I know that our editor-in-chief, Barbara Young, has made this request in the past, and I'd like to use this, my first The Final Word of the new year, to further extend the always-open invitation for feedback from you, our readers.

I'd like to extend to you a personal invitation to write in to me with your suggestions on our content, coverage and quality. What can we improve? What works really well already? What can you live with or without in the magazine? What issues are we missing the boat on?

Our eyes and ears are always open, so please, feel free to take five minutes out of your busy day and write to us — we're happy to hear from you, whether it's positive or negative feedback. You can email me at hanaceka@bnpmedia.com , or send a letter to me at The National Provisioner, 155 N. Pfingsten Road, Suite 205, Deerfield, Ill. 60015. Or simply call me directly: 1-847-405-4011. All the best to you as we begin 2008, and I look forward to helping you get all the information you need in this new year.