Looking ahead with enthusiastic intentions, 1-800-Flowers.com has announced the radiant ranunculus and sleek snake plant as its 2025 Flower and Plant of the Year. This marks the eighth year that the flower and plant authority has named a flower and plant of the year.

Food Lion Feeds and its generous customers have helped provide the equivalent of more than 29 million meals to increase families’ access to nutritious food this holiday season. This amount sets a record, quadrupling the highest Holidays Without Hunger meal count in 2021 which was equal to more than 6.6 million meals.

Hoffman Nursery, a premier provider of high-quality ornamental and native plants, announced two key leadership promotions: David Hoffman has been appointed CEO, and Craig Reynolds has been promoted to chief operating officer.

Ricardo Naranjo Fernández has been appointed as the new CEO of Camposol, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Naranjo Fernández has served as interim CEO since June 2024, during which he demonstrated exceptional leadership, inspiring collaboration and teamwork while delivering remarkable results. His ability to quickly adapt, lead with impact, and build trust across the organization has solidified his position as a natural leader and a key figure for the company’s future.

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. announced the appointment of Christopher Miller as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 6. He will report directly to Eric Lindberg, Grocery Outlet’s chairman of the board, and interim president and CEO.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board assessment increase has been approved by USDA after a 20-month process.

As of Dec. 20, the final rule was in Public Inspection status, set to publish in the Federal Register on Dec. 23, approving the new assessment rate for the NWPB; the total assessment of nine cents per hundredweight vs. the current six cents per hundredweight. This amount is split between producers and handlers and paid in total by importers.