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.

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.

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."

If you wonder why your kids drive you crazy, here is a clue. Time Inc. a division of Time Warner, commissioned Innerscope Research to do a study "A Biometric Day in the Life" to show how the proliferation of digital devices and platforms would affect the media consumption habits of "Digital Natives" (consumers who grew up with mobile technology as part of their everyday lives) and "Digital Immigrants" (who first learned about mobile technology in their adult lives).

Americans have a sweet tooth and proclaim chocolate candies as their favorite indulgence, according to the just released 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend (EQ), annual study of brand equity of more than 1,500 brands, conducted by Harris Interactive. The study, conducted online from Jan. 31 through Feb.