General Mills will pull its versions of Trix and Cocoa Puffs cereals that are sweetened with Splenda. Although the company did not return phone calls requesting comment, a grocery executive says that the 75%- less-sugar cereals were hurt by bad publicity when they were introduced in 2004 because they are made with Splenda instead of sugar. Kellogg's reduced-sugar items--33%-less-sugar versions of Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops--have fared much better, the executive says. Kellogg is sticking with its reduced-sugar items despite middling sales to "provide desirable options for some consumers," a spokeswoman says. Kraft Foods, too, continues to …

The retail animal that emerged in the '80s and '90--the logo queen obsessed with polo ponies and interlocked C's--has morphed into something that goes by the unflattering name "brand slut." (The nicer term is "brand promiscuous.") She is the fashion and beauty consumer who flits from one brand to the next. "Long, monogamous relationships" with particular brands are dying and consumers with no sense of fidelity are on the rise, says trend-spotter Marian Salzman, co-author of "Next Now: Trends for the Future." Brand sluts, she says, are savvy consumers. They are more demanding, and want to be different. …