Retail Beat

• La. store combines "different elements"
  After the Cormie's store burned down in Louisiana in early 2011, Brookshire Brothers helped rebuild it, creating a concept store that combines fresh food departments, a bait shop, a gas station, and other grocery and convenience store elements. "Cormie's is the 'new normal' in retail," said Brookshire Brothers Chief Operating Officer Jerry Johnson. "It carries what the customers in that area want...," he added. Progressive Grocer (12/14)     

Trend-Spotter

• Mexican and Latin American flavors among 2013 food trends
  The flavors of Mexico and Latin America, as well as regional American fare, will gain popularity in 2013, according to a trend report from Bell Flavors & Fragrances. The ingredients company also predicts growth in nostalgia desserts, sweet beverages and functional drinks with fewer calories and less fat and sugar. FoodBusinessNews.net (free registration) (12/14)     

Fresh Ideas

• Growers bring back American chestnuts
  American chestnuts, decimated by blight in the early 1900s, are being grown again as farmers figure out how to prevent disease and consumers discover their health benefits. "There's a steady and consistent growth, in the number of growers, the number of acres, and the number of people who are buying chestnuts," said Michael Gold, forestry professor at the University of Missouri. National Public Radio/The Salt blog (12/14)     

Health, Nutrition & Pharmacy

• Kroger offers savings to customers with diabetes
  Kroger customers with diabetes and private insurance now have a co-pay of just $4 for Kroger Premium test strips, used to monitor their blood glucose levels. "We listen to our customers and one of their main worries is that their co-pay on blood glucose test strips continues to rise," said pharmacy marketing manager Teri Rose. "Our Kroger $4 co-pay program immediately addresses that situation." Progressive Grocer (12/14)     

Supplier News

• Diet Pepsi gets new sweetener mix
  PepsiCo has changed the sweetener in Diet Pepsi from aspartame to a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, said to prolong the drink's fresh taste without changing its flavor. The company has been quiet about the shift, but said in a statement it was being made to "ensure consistency with every sip.” The Washington Post/The Associated Press (12/16)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by FMI dailyLead® readers in the past week.

• Food Lion gets a new president (The Charlotte Observer (N.C.))

• Report outlines shopper-marketing trends (Progressive Grocer)

• Study looks at organic-label perceptions (Progressive Grocer)

• Hannaford looks internally to find president in Wise (The Wall Street Journal)

• PepsiCo plans "snacks made into beverages" (BevNet.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Technology Solutions

• Sierra Nevada freshens website
  Craft beer brewer Sierra Nevada has teamed with Digital Kitchen to update its website for the first time in 10 years, adding a four-minute documentary about the brand. The 30-year-old company, based in California, is opening a brewery in North Carolina to boost East Coast distribution. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (12/16)     

FMI Spotlight

• Looking for Education on Government Affairs Topics?
  New to the FMI Webinar Archive, listen to informational webinars on health care and labeling regulations. These free webinars can be found on FMI.org.     

Global Update

• Sen. Schumer wants "dairy cliff" averted
  Sen. Charles Schumer, D.-N.Y., said the House of Representatives must act before Jan. 1, 2013, to avoid the "dairy cliff" that would result if the farm bill is not passed. The bill provides federal assistance to more than 5,400 farmers in New York who struggle with shifting commodity costs and milk prices. The Wall Street Journal/The Associated Press (12/16)     

Food Safety and Security

• NYC restaurants called out on seafood bait and switch
  Many restaurants swap one species of seafood for another, says Oceana, an ocean conservation group that last week released a report on seafood fraud in New York City. "This thing with fish is age old, it's been going on forever," said Anne Quatrano, an Atlanta chef. "Unless you buy whole fish, you can't always know what you're getting from a supplier." The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/15)     

• Bisphenol A no longer allowed in France
  Under a new law, bisphenol A can no longer be manufactured, used, imported or exported, or used for food packaging in France. The chemical has been linked to health problems in animals. Food Business Review (12/14)     

Daily Quote

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action." --Frank Tibolt, American author