Published 04-11-17
Issued by General Mills
General Mills released its 2017 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates. General Mills continues to make significant progress toward nutrition improvements and sustainable sourcing of their food, as well as climate and pollinator protection – all key highlights of this year’s report.
General Mills released its 2017 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates. General Mills continues to make significant progress toward nutrition improvements and sustainable sourcing of their food, as well as climate and pollinator protection – all key highlights of this year’s report.
“For 150 years, General Mills has been making food people love while also investing in making the world around us better,” said Ken Powell, chairman and CEO of General Mills. “We believe that being successful in the marketplace and being a force for good go hand in hand. We are proud of the bold actions we have taken to advance sustainability, make innovative nutritional advances to our food, and provide a positive impact in our communities for the consumers we serve.”
Improving Nutrition
In 2016, General Mills made notable progress in giving consumers more food choices that align with consumers’ changing food habits.
In the U.S., where progress is measured and tracked against the company’s longstanding Health Metric, 79 percent of the company’s food has been nutritionally improved since 2005.
With 98 percent of American Households purchasing a General Mills product at some point during the year, this push to improve the nutrition profile of the company’s food has made a meaningful impact with consumers.
Key to this effort is enhancing positive nutrition such as:
General Mills has also made investments to address changing consumer preferences. Today more than half of General Mills’ U.S. retail products are labeled as free from artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, or colors from artificial sources. The company also continues to see a growing interest in natural and organic foods. General Mills is the fourth largest maker of natural and organic foods in the U.S. One in 10 products sold in North America are USDA certified organic or made with organic ingredients including brands like Annie’s, LARABAR and Cascadian Farm.
For nearly a decade, General Mills has served consumers with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. Since Gluten Free Rice Chex was launched in 2008, General Mills has grown its portfolio of gluten-free products to more than 1,000 items. It is now the second largest provider of gluten-free foods, including seven varieties of Cheerios, in the U.S. The company has also introduced gluten-free products in more away-from-home food outlets like restaurants and schools, and in new regions such as Canada and Europe.
Continuing progress toward sustainable sourcing
In 2013, General Mills made a commitment to sustainably source 100 percent of the company’s ten priority ingredients by 2020. These priority ingredients represent 40 percent of the company’s annual raw material purchases and include cocoa, vanilla, oats, U.S. wheat, U.S. sugar beets, U.S. corn (dry milled), U.S. dairy (raw fluid milk), fiber packaging, sugar cane and palm oil.
Four years into the commitment, the company is at 69 percent of its goal. To date, the most significant progress has been made toward palm oil (100 percent), fiber packaging (99 percent) as well as 50 percent or more of sugar beets, sugar cane and oats.
“As a global food company, we depend on nature to help us make the food people love,” said Jerry Lynch, Chief Sustainability Officer for General Mills. “So it’s vital that we continue to make steady progress toward our ambitious sourcing, climate and water commitments. We also know that one company can’t do it alone, which is why collaboration is critical to realizing our goals.”
Protecting Natural Resources
The food industry relies on the planet’s resources to perform well. General Mills’ progress in 2016 demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to protect and restore the resources upon which its business and communities depend, focusing on soil health, watershed health and climate.
Increasing pollinator habitat
General Mills is committed to improving the health of ecosystems in its supply chain, which benefits farmers, wildlife, the planet and the food the company makes. Pollinators are responsible for enabling one third of the food we eat. For this reason, we focus on multi-faceted approaches including providing habitat in agricultural landscapes where crops will benefit from the work of pollinators.
In 2016, General Mills, the Xerces Society, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a partnership to restore and protect pollinator habitat across hundreds of acres of farmland in North America. The five-year, $4 million financial commitment between General Mills and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) supports farmers across the U.S. by providing technical assistance to plant and protect pollinator habitat, such as native wildflower field edges and flowering hedgerows. Through 2021, this partnership will help to plant more than 100,000 acres of pollinator habitat. And we continue to collaborate with leading researchers, conservationists and our suppliers to improve the health, quantity and effectiveness of pollinators through research and other efforts.
Supporting communities
In 2016, General Mills Foundation repositioned its global focus areas to more closely tie to the company’s core business and knowledge of food systems. The new focus areas include: Increasing Food Security, Advancing Sustainable Agriculture and Strengthening Hometown Communities. Throughout the last year, the company and its Foundation donated more than $147 million to key initiatives that support communities around the globe, and enabled 57 million meals through General Mills food donations globally.
Other impactful 2016 contributions include:
“Our company’s philanthropy is aligned with our business goals now more than ever,” said Mary Jane Melendez, Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation. “This means we can leverage the global reach and know-how of General Mills to make a positive impact in communities worldwide.”
This marks the 47th year General Mills has reported back to stakeholders and the community.
Learn more about General Mills’ economic, environmental and social commitments and progress by visiting GeneralMills.com/Responsibility, to view the full Global Responsibility Report, interactive report and 3-minute video.
About General Mills
General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie’s, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 worldwide sales of US $17.6 billion, including the company’s US $1.0 billion proportionate share of joint-venture net sales. For more information about General Mills, visit www.generalmills.com.
About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2015 worldwide sales of US $18.8 billion.