Amazon has confirmed plans to open four brick-and-mortar grocery stores in Washington, D.C.; Franconia, Va.; Chevy Chase, Md.; and Warrington, Pa., which would be its first East Coast sites. Amazon would not confirm whether the new locations would fly the retailer's Fresh banner, but did say it is now hiring "hundreds" of full- and part-time workers.

Jean Batthany, who spent more than four years working to shape the marketing of Walt Disney parks, products and brands, has been named Walmart's first chief creative officer. In a LinkedIn post, Batthany said she will develop "breakthrough and innovative marketing at all consumer touch points" for the retailer, and added she was happy to join "such an impactful brand with huge scope, scale and heart."

Lidl has introduced a new product logo for its own brands of items, such as toothpaste and soap, designed to raise awareness of water use and encourage customers to do more to conserve water every day. The "Save Water" logo, released to mark Earth Day and Water Conservation Month, also will guide shoppers to an online site that offers tips to cut water use and details Lidl's global commitment to the effort.

General Electric is developing sensors that could be embedded in consumer electronics to detect nanoparticles from viruses such as the flu or COVID-19. Researchers say the technology would be comparable to laboratory-grade instruments.

PopSugar's editors dream in vivid color; thus, the items on their dream-worthy kitchen-item list for April include West Elm's Fantasia flatware set and Opalhouse's cotton oven mitt and pot holder set. Plenty of design-forward options, such as the Ooni Koda 16 gas outdoor pizza oven, are noted too.

A new list of "essential" kitchen products ideal for spring and summer includes a Cuisinart 1.5-quart frozen yogurt ice cream maker and an OXO Good Grips 2-in-1 citrus juicer. The Vacu Vin wine saver pump can help keep that chardonnay fresh.

Tales of Kroger's digital sales and ghost kitchen expansion made waves on this week's list of most-read stories. Walmart's pandemic marketing, Trader Joe's upcoming grilled cheese challenge and a "Cravy" concept from Heinz and Ocean Spray also made the list.

An industrywide hiring spree appears likely this year as grocers prepare for continued growth and a new normal that would follow an easing of pandemic restrictions. The Fresh Market plans to hire 1,600 new staffers, Bashas' is looking to hire 700 and Dollar Tree announced it would be hiring "thousands" at its more than 15,000 stores, including the 600 new locations it plans to open this fiscal year.

Raley's has released its first Impact Report, a 45-page document outlining the chain's plans to bolster its sustainability initiatives, community investment and focus on nutrition and wellness. The grocer also announced plans this week to convert all of its stores to the new O-N-E (Organics, Nutrition and Education) concept, and Raley's CEO Keith Knopf says the Impact Report "exemplifies our team's dedication to prioritizing purpose over profit and our commitment to serving multiple bottom lines."

The FDA's recently unveiled "Closer to Zero" action plan aims to work gradually toward removing heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead, from baby food. "[F]ederal standards regarding these elements in baby food should be evaluated by FDA and guided by science," FMI said in a statement.