IRVINGTON, NY - BrightFarms, a national leader in the indoor farming industry, announced a campaign with Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, to deliver free salad kits* following Quitters Day. Noted as the day when most people abandon their New Year's resolutions, Quitters Day is typically recognized as the second Friday in January.

To keep the spirit of healthful resolutions alive longer, BrightFarms and Instacart offered free Crunch Kits™ before the month ended on Thursday, January 23. Consumers can head to the Instacart website or app to redeem this offer with their Instacart order and select an eligible Crunch Kit™ of their choosing while supplies last. *Delivery, sales tax, and other fees will still apply.

"We're committed to bringing our customers the crispiest, crunchiest, and freshest lettuce imaginable. Our partnership with Instacart takes that promise even further, ensuring that you can enjoy produce that's not just better for your plate but better for the planet too," said Jessica Soare, Senior Director of Marketing at BrightFarms. "We at BrightFarms are excited to help make healthy eating a bit easier at a time when it's hard to consistently work toward wellness goals. We hope that we can help turn Quitters Day into a celebration of fresh beginnings, fueling our customers with fresh and locally-grown greens delivered directly to their doors."

As a leader in the indoor farming industry that makes fresh, responsibly-grown produce, BrightFarms offers a robust line of fresh lettuce and herb options, from classic greens to crunchy mixes.

According to a press release, as part of the Quitters Day promotion, Instacart customers can choose to redeem one of the following fan-favorite salad kits:

• Mediterranean: a vegetarian-driven salad featuring bright and robust Greek flavors, feta cheese, roasted lentils, herbed flatbread, and a feta vinaigrette
• Southwest Chipotle: a perfect blend of heat and smoke with tangy, bold flavors featuring fire-roasted corn, cotija cheese, tortilla strips, and chipotle ranch dressing
• Chickpea Caesar: a delightful twist on a culinary classic. This kit starts with fresh BrightFarms Sunny Crunch greens, topped with crispy chickpeas, organic quinoa, shaved parmesan, garlic crouton crumbles, and paired with a vegan Caesar dressing
• Sunny Bacon: a savory salad topped with uncured bacon bits, shredded white cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, crispy onions, herb croutons, and paired with a vegan Ranch dressing

For more information, visit www.brightfarms.com or www.instacart.com.

SEATTLE, WA - Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington recently sent the following message to the company:

I’m excited to share that Jason Buechel will take on an expanded responsibility leading Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS) while maintaining his current role as CEO of Whole Foods Market (WFM), joining the Stores Leadership Team and reporting to me. I think you all know Jason, but you may not be familiar with his background. He has been with WFM since 2013. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as COO, providing operational leadership over all WFM physical stores, and overseeing the company’s technology, supply chain and distribution, store real estate and design, and HR functions. In his time as CEO, Jason has unlocked our ability to make high-quality natural and organic groceries more affordable and accessible to customers, helping WFM achieve record sales growth and expand to over 535 locations. Claire Peters and Anand Varadarajan will report to Jason moving forward.

Since creating a single WW Grocery Stores organization in 2022, we have made notable progress in our vision to make grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable for customers. We’ve taken steps to integrate our huge grocery selection across our broader logistics network, and create a more seamless experience for customers, especially Prime members. This work will continue under Jason’s leadership. I am incredibly energized by our momentum in grocery. Our new Grocery Subscription is getting fantastic response from customers. We continue to be focused on great selection and value at Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Go. We’re getting great feedback on our new and redesigned Amazon Fresh stores. We’re also excited by new experiments, like in Phoenix, where customers can shop tens of thousands of grocery items—including fresh groceries—alongside millions of Amazon.com products, and have them delivered, together, in hours.

Jason will be a fantastic leader to take the team forward and deliver on the solid 2025 plans the team has built. Claire will continue in her role leading Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, and Grocery Partnerships, and Anand will continue to lead all of product and technology for WWGS. I’m thankful for their support through this transition.

Please join me in congratulating Jason. I’m excited for the year ahead.

IRVINE, CA - The 2025 California avocado harvest is now projected to be in the range of 375 million pounds, which is the largest crop estimate for the locally grown fruit since 2020. Recent extremely high winds in California slightly dampened very early season projections, but the industry is still optimistic for a particularly good season. Investment by California avocado growers who have increased the planting of new trees and improved average per acre yield are contributing to this optimism. Fruit sizing and the actual harvest total will be influenced by natural factors, and growers are hoping for beneficial rain and sunshine to come. Meanwhile, some growers are size-picking now in time to support Big Game promotions with retailers. Peak availability of California avocados is expected to occur from spring through summer this year.

Starting in spring, the California Avocado Commission will launch the latest evolution of its What’s Inside a California Avocado creative campaign through advertising and social media. The creative takes consumers straight into California avocado groves to communicate key messaging of the fruit’s locally grown, sustainably farmed, and ethically sourced attributes while reminding them how delicious and high-quality California avocados are. These ads were filmed in beautiful California avocado groves in San Diego, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties. Consumer media will include streaming and connected TV, audio, outdoor, and custom digital partnerships. There also will be hyper-local media outreach in key markets for the brand.

“The Commission is in full gear implementing marketing support programs for the quickly approaching California avocado season,” said CAC Vice President of Marketing Terry Splane. “In addition to media and social media activity, customized marketing programs for retailers and foodservice operators who partner with the Commission are a cornerstone of CAC’s trade support.”

In many cases, priority communications for California avocados dovetail with strategic priorities for retailers, such as supporting local farmers, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. The Commission often supports customers’ own initiatives with unique materials featuring local California avocado growers. Programs can include traditional merchandising support such as point-of-sale materials, display bins, sales contests, demos, and more. CAC also supports customer-sponsored advertising, social, and consumer public relations activities.

“This season, with additional volume projected compared to the last few years, we are excited to provide continued support to loyal partners and reach out to more customers whose strategic priorities and shopper profiles align with ours,” said Splane. “We’re looking forward to heightened creativity in our customer programs and our consumer marketing support.”