Cereal and the energy bar makers are drawing product innovation inspiration from each other these days, and the tactic seems to be working out well, reports Candy Industry. Food bar sales reached $5.7 billion in 2011, according to Food Bars in the U.S., a March Packaged Facts report, up from $5.3 billion in 2010.

My apologies to any other food industry trade shows out there. Other than, perhaps, the Grocery Aisle Bonanzas 'R Us show, the Candy and Snack Expo is hands-down my favorite trade show of the year. Where else can you find my two favorite food types – snacks and candy? Judging by recent reports on consumer trends, I'm not the only one with a hankering for snacks see Survey Reveals Consumer Snacking Behaviors.

Edvard Munch's iconic "The Scream" just sold for a record $120 million at auction in New York, but that's peanuts compared to the demand for ice cream, according to Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts in the U.S., a just-released report from Packaged Facts.

Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the New York City-based brand and customer loyalty research consultancy polled 5,000 men and women age 18 to 60 about how they were planning to celebrate Mother's Day.

Convenience store sales, both at the pump and inside the store, set new records in 2011, according to NACS. In-store convenience store sales grew 2.4 percent, reaching a record $195 billion. Combined with $486.9 billion in motor fuels sales, total convenience store sales in 2011 were $681.9 billion, or one out of every 22 dollars of the overall $15.04 trillion U.S. gross domestic product.

Carol Lowry Senior food scientist Cargill

On Feb. 21, 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would allow continued use of the health claim linking consumption of free plant sterols as well as sterol esters to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease until a final rule is issued. It was good news in that food and dietary supplement manufacturers can keep using free sterols in applications such as beverages and tablets, but the lack of a final decision on health claim requirements may spell continued uncertainty for some of these manufacturers.

FDA’s recent review of the sterols health claim also spurred interesting discussions of the relative merits of and differences between sterol esters and free sterols. At Cargill, we stay on top of regulatory issues so we can inform our customers on FDA’s actions like the proposed amendment of the sterol/heart disease risk reduction health claim. We extend our expertise to our customers to identify which version of sterol ingredient is best for their particular application now and, if the FDA issues a final decision on the health claim at some point in the future, what it might mean for them.

Consumers' confidence in their personal finances is returning, reports SymphonyIRI Group's latest MarketPulse survey (Q12012). However, they remain cautious about their financial future and will continue to ramp up and/or maintain their conservative shopping behaviors this year.

Coca-Cola refuted a Wall Street Journal article that the company is in talks to buy energy drink company Corona, Calif.-based Monster Beverage Corp. "At this time, we are not in discussions to acquire the Monster Beverage Corp," Coke said in a statement. "We continue to review the best ways to maximize the value of our relationship," reports Reuters ...

There is a drink for every occasion-whether resting at home, working out at the gym, or enjoying a night on the town, and the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study takes stock of America's thirst quenchers to find out which beverage brands bubble to the top. EQ is a study of brand health that is conducted yearly by Harris Interactive for more than 1,500 brands.

Consumers are interested in healthy eating more than ever, and a survey of 2,000 U.S. respondents by Mintel reveals that approximately half (52 percent) of American adults are currently "watching" their diet. And while 60 percent say they are dieting because they want to lose weight, some 15 percent of dieters claim to be doing so at least in part because of concerns about "salt intake."