Dear food and beverage companies: thank you for making my job fun. It's a wonder I get any work done any more with the new apps, sites and products being introduced every day.

Today's favorite app: Jell-O's Jiggle It App.

Oh how I love a food and beverage company with a sense of humor.

Six weeks ago, I reported that Frito-Lay and Comedy Central were teaming up for a limited-edition Cheesy Poofs snack in honor of South Park's 15th season. I'm ecstatic to report that this past Labor Day weekend, I found a bag of said Cheesy Poofs and ripped it open as soon as I got home. 

All I can say is: I understand why Eric Cartman loves them so much. Sure, they taste just like a standard Cheeto's Cheese Puff (and they probably are), but the novelty of snacking on an otherwise fictional snack made my humor-loving heart go pitter-pat. 

Following the fiction-to-reality snack theme, Ben & Jerry's recently reported a new introduction to its line of delicious ice creams: Schweddy Balls.

For my fellow Saturday Night Live fans, this skit-inspired product will probably have you rolling around the cubical farm in a hysterical fit of laughter. According to Ben & Jerry's website, the ice cream will be available both pints and Scoop Shops. Flavor-wise, the delicious dairy snack will contain "Fair Trade vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and is loaded with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls."

Food Processing Top 100 lister General Mills has introduced an innovative new concept in e-commerce with its Betty Crocker branded Red Spoon Squad.

According to InternetRetailer.com, General Mills has been testing RedSpoonSquad.com, which allows consumers to learn about new recipes, recieve cooking instructions based on the consumers' culinary level and also arrange for a personal visit from a Red Spoon Squad expert.

Betty Crocker is working with BrandJourney Venturing, a web technology development firm that is building and temporarily operating the new sites for General Mills.

Personally, I think this idea is GENIUS. 

This morning I noticed an email in my work inbox that, at first glance, I thought was a joke:

"ACTIVISTS TAKE OVER HERSHEY FACEBOOK CONTEST ON NATIONAL S’MORES DAY"

I have a good sense of humor so I induldged my curious journalist self and read through the emailed release. As I read on, I realized not only was this not a joke, it was a serious email. I'm pro-social change, but this alert hit a little to close to home for me. 

Be still my South Park-loving heart. According to an article I found on the Reuter's news service, Comedy Central is teaming up with Frito-Lay to bring to life South Park's most loved snack: Cheesy Poofs

Yesterday was a glorious day filled with candy, new snack products and best of all, a peak at a website that will forever change my life. You see, the NCA Sweets and Snacks Expo wasn't just about learning which delicious snacks would be gracing my taste buds in the near future. It was the trade show where I learned about Juicy Fruit's Serenading Unicorn.

I attended the Food Technology and Innovation Forum this week and had the pleasure of listening to numerous great minds in the food industry. One of those great minds was Dr. Robert Post, Deputy Director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

I'm heading to one of the most fun (and delicious) trade shows a girl covering the food industry can attend: The 2011 Sweets and Snack Expo in Chicago.

While I love this trade show (who wouldn't love coming home with a bag full of soon-to-be introduced sweets and snack?) what I'm most looking forward to this year is using the Sweets and Snacks Expo 2011 Mobile App.

I've started to view my iPhone as an extension of my right hand. It goes everywhere with me; from the library, to kids' sporting events, the mall, the airport, and the grocery store.  I even have it in arm's reach when I'm watching television, reading or working. 

I'm not a food scientist nor do I play one on t.v., but FONA's new FlavorNotes smart phone application might have me rethinking my career path.