MINNEAPOLIS, April 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- General Mills
released its 2019 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the
company's approach to creating environmental, social and economic
value in the countries where it operates. The progress made by
General Mills in 2018 demonstrates the company's long-term
commitment to protect and restore the resources upon which its
business and communities depend, with an increased focus on
advancing regenerative practices across its supply chain.
"We know that food plays a central role in people's lives and
has a profound impact on the environment and communities
worldwide," said Jeff Harmening,
chairman and CEO of General Mills. "Serving the world as a food
company requires innovation at every level, from how we source
ingredients and make our food, to how we engage with consumers, our
employees and other stakeholders."
Improving Soil Health Practices
Through 2018, General
Mills has invested more than $4
million in soil health initiatives on U.S. agricultural
lands. More than 24 billion tons of fertile soil is being lost
every year due to erosion (Source: globalagriculture.org)
and if we don't have healthy soil, we can't grow food to feed the
world. In March, the company announced a commitment to advance
regenerative agriculture on one million acres of farmland by 2030.
Regenerative agriculture restores soil health by applying farming
practices such as diverse crop rotations and cover cropping to
capture carbon in the soil and reduce GHG levels in the
atmosphere.
During fiscal 2018, General Mills developed a Regenerative
Agriculture Measurement Protocol, which outlines how to determine
the impact of agricultural management on soil health throughout
General Mills' network of regenerative farmers and ranchers.
The company also launched the General Mills Regenerative
Agriculture Scorecard, a self-assessment tool to help farmers
understand how their practices influence soil health, biodiversity
and economic resilience in farming communities.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
In 2018, General Mills' greenhouse gas emissions footprint
decreased 13 percent compared to 2010, across its value chain in
the areas of agriculture, packaging, producing, shipping,
converting, selling and consuming. The company's GHG emissions fell
4 percent versus 2017, while net sales increased 1 percent.
Responsible 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. Six years into the commitment, the company
is at 85 percent of its goal.
"The health of our business depends on the health of our planet;
if she's not healthy, farmers can't grow the ingredients we need to
make the food our consumers love," said Jerry Lynch, chief sustainability officer for
General Mills. "With our scale, we truly can be a force for good to
drive impact and meaningful change across our entire value chain,
from farm to fork and beyond."
Strengthening communities
The efforts of the General
Mills Foundation are tied closely to
the company's purpose, core business and food systems knowledge
with three global focus areas: Increasing Food Security, Advancing
Sustainable Agriculture and Strengthening Hometown Communities. In
2018, the company and its Foundation donated more than $102 million to charitable causes and enabled 29
million meals for food-insecure children and families through
General Mills food donations globally.
"In the Foundation, our aim is to build flourishing communities
and a thriving planet," said Mary Jane
Melendez, chief sustainability and social impact officer for
General Mills. "We believe we can achieve that by harnessing our
collective impact in key areas, while engaging our 38,000
passionate employees through meaningful volunteerism."
Other impactful philanthropic contributions in 2018 include:
- 540,000 children worldwide access to a daily nourishing
school meal: General Mills' philanthropy is connecting more
children than ever before with school meals, ensuring that they are
nourished and ready to learn.
- 30 countries strengthened through food bank support:
General Mills food donations, Foundation grants and employee
expertise were used to support and strengthen food banks in more
than 30 countries.
- 30,000 food retailers participated in food rescue
efforts: In the last 12 months, General Mills empowered 30,000
retailers to recover 4.2 billion pounds of surplus food, through
MealConnect in the U.S. and FareShare in the U.K., feeding hungry
people rather than going to waste.
- $42 million to schools:
Through the Box Tops for Education program, General Mills donated
over $42 million in 2018 to K-8
schools in the U.S. Since 1996, the program has given more than
$882 million to over 70,000
participating schools.
Employee Engagement
Engaged employees create value and
drive business performance. Over the past several years, General
Mills has worked to build a more agile, engaged organization by
listening to employees, taking action on employee feedback and
measuring progress. Some highlights from 2018 include:
- 83 percent of General Mills employees worldwide volunteered in
their communities.
- Enhanced employee benefits, including up to 20 weeks maternity
leave and 12 weeks paternity leave.
- 49 percent of professional positions were held by women
globally.
This marks the 49th year General Mills has publicly
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
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,
Häagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker,
Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai
Ferry, Yoki, Blue and more. Headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA,
General Mills generated fiscal 2018 proforma net sales of U.S.
$17.0 billion, including $1.3 billion from Blue Buffalo. In addition,
General Mills' share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales
totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.
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SOURCE General Mills