General Mills

General Mills has completed TCFD-aligned scenario analysis for three scenarios including a below 2C scenario. The company has identified risks for 10 priority ingredients including U.S. dairy, however, the company has not mentioned if it has identified risks associated with meat as part of its scenario analysis. General Mills has not mentioned protein diversification in its scenario analysis and has instead cited regenerative agriculture as the primary climate solution the company plans to implement to mitigate its climate risk.

Greenhouse gas emissions across General Mills' value chain are attributed to various sectors, with agriculture and ingredients accounting for 39% of emissions. Within this category, dairy contributes 24%, and meat 12% of the total emissions.

The company has a 1.5C SBTi-approved target to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 30% by FY2030 from an FY2020 base year across its full value chain. General Mills is working to update its SBTi targets against FLAG guidance and plans to publish this by the end of the calendar year.

The company provides no information relating to protein diversification in its climate disclosure.

General Mills has not integrated of protein diversification into its climate action transition plan.

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There is no evidence for this KPI.

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General Mills has not yet integrated protein diversification into its climate transition plan; therefore, its board has not yet shown support for this target.

None of the board members has technical expertise in and/or has oversight of an expert advisory group on climate risk/ sustainability.

Several board members of the company have expertise in health and wellness.

The company offers a comprehensive insight into its lobbying activities at the state and federal levels.

Generals Mills is directly lobbying the US government on climate at the state and federal levels. Examples of the company’s climate lobbying include encouraging US Congress to strengthen collaboration between organisations around the company’s regenerative agriculture goals, testifying to the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on why the company believes regenerative agriculture to be of importance and the need for more public research in this area, and publicly calling for the US to remain aligned with the Paris Climate Accord.

General Mills provides a full list of company affiliations with associations, alliances, coalitions, think tanks and other organisations to which it provides support. The company has provided a total of $207,585 in support to its trade associations.

Generals Mills has assessed the climate alignment of one of its trade associations, one of its research partners, and one NGO in which it provides support to. The company has omitted the assessment five trade associations it provides support too from this analysis. The company is actively lobbying on both climate and nutrition through its partnerships, lobbying on topics such as; carbon credits, supporting farmers shift to sustainable practices, regenerative agriculture, health claims, nutrition and allergen labeling, microbiological standards, dietary guidance, and supplemental nutrition feeding programs.

There is no evidence for this KPI.

There is no evidence for this KPI.

General Mills has launched pilot one-to-one technical support programs to support its dairy suppliers' transition towards regenerative agriculture practices. These support programs have allowed 3 of its dairy farmers to implement regenerative agriculture practices in western Michigan. These 3 dairy suppliers produce ~16% of the raw milk used in its North American Yoplait® products. The company has additionally disclosed collaborations with other orgnisations such as Logiag and Regeneration Canada and has provided a regenerative self assessment tool as means to support its suppliers decarbonise.

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There is no evidence for this KPI

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There is no evidence for this KPI.

General Mills has launched its own plant-based products through its brand Haagen-Dazs. Haagen-Dazs has launched 3 flavours of dairy-free ice creams made from oat milk in Canada. The company disclosed that it has invested in new brands through 301 INC, focusing on plant-based options like Rhythm for snacks and Everything Legendary for burgers, however, these investments were made in 2017 and 2022. Although the company also stated it has 750 vegan products across its different brands, it is unclear how many have been launched this year.

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General Mills has disclosed evidence of resource allocation towards improving the nutrition and sustainability of its products. For nutrition, the company utilises its Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition. This institute has scientists and researchers to determine the nutrition of its whole grain portfolio which is considered a plant-based protein. For sustainability, General Mills is working to increase the sustainability of the almonds used in its Larabars by funding regenerative agriculture research with the Ecdysis Foundation in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

General Mills has provided only one example of reformulating its whole grain Nature Valley bar to have 30% less sugar.

There is no evidence for this KPI

There is no evidence for this KPI

There is no evidence for this KPI.

General Mills is promoting the nutritional attributes of its products on its website and its subsidiary brand websites such as Annies, Larabar, Nature Valley, Oui and Progresso. General Mills is promoting its plant-based products as being low sugar, high protein, and free from artificial colours and flavours. The company has also implemented front-of-package nutritional labelling for its products in the following geographies; Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the US, however, it is unclear to what extent this covers the company's plant-based ranges.

The company has implemented "Climate Pledge Friendly" labelling on its Larabar products to highlight their sustainability.

It is unclear if General Mills has conducted consumer research around alternative proteins. However, the company has provided a high-level statement that it has expanded its plant-based product line, catering to the increasing demand of consumers for these products.

There is no evidence that the company uses consumer research related to healthy diets to inform its marketing strategy for alternative protein sources. However, General Mills did state it is proactively adapting to the growing demand for personalized nutrition by staying informed about emerging research and offering innovative products.