General Mills

This company has products rated RED in the Centre for Food Safety's True Food Shopper's Guide (USA). Products on the RED list contain ingredients that come from the most common GE crops (corn, soy, canola, cotton). Companies with products on this list have confirmed that their products may have or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so.
[Source 2013][More on Genetic Engineering]

Friends of the Earth's 2014 report "Tiny Ingredients, Big Risks" names this company as one of over 200 transnational food companies engaged in nanotechnology research and development, and on their way to commercializing products. New studies are adding to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating nanomaterials may be toxic to humans and the environment.
[Source 2014][More on Product Safety]

General Mills and Nestle began a joint venture in 1991 to produce breakfast cereals called Cereal Partners. The company is headquartered in Switzerland, and markets cereals in more than 130 countries. Nestle is the target of a long-standing boycott call.
[Source][More on Governance]

This company is a partner of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which claims will lift 50 million people in Africa out of poverty by 2022. But according to a 2015 report by ActionAid, the scheme will benefit multinational companies at the expense of small-scale farmers and is likely to increase poverty and inequality in Africa. Launched in 2012, the New Alliance provides aid money from rich countries like the US and the UK, and helps big business invest in the African agricultural sector. But in return, African countries are required to change their land, seed and trade rules in favour of big business. The New Alliance will: Make it easier for big corporations to grab land in Africa: Prevent farmers from breeding, saving and exchanging seeds: Heavily promote chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which increase farmers’ risk of debt as well as damaging the environment and farmers' health: Replace family farms with low paid, insecure jobs; and Prevent countries from restricting crop exports, even at times of domestic shortage.
[Source 2015][More on Finance]

In May 2014 Oxfam singled out Kellogg and General Mills as two of the worst food companies on climate and called on them to lead the sector towards more responsible policies and practices. In July 2014 Oxfam welcomed a commitment from General Mills to implement industry-leading measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chains and press for political action to address climate change.
[Source 2014][More on Climate Change]

As a result of a campaign run by the Rainforest Action Network, General Mills announced a comprehensive palm oil policy that puts them at the front of the pack when it comes to American companies addressing the problems with palm oil.
[Source 2010][More on Palm Oil]

In 2016 General Mills joined Campbell's in being among the major food companies that have broken ranks with the industry's strong opposition to mandatory labeling laws. The company has announced it will label GMOs on all products in the USA, following the standards set by Vermont's labeling law until a national standard is set.
[Source 2016][More on Genetic Engineering]

As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: adopt a science-based emissions reduction target; remove commodity-driven deforestation from all supply chains by 2020.
[Source 2017][More on Climate Change]

Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation established to advance the human rights of workers by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through the voluntary SA8000 Standard.
[Source 2014][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

In 2015 General Mills received praise from the Humane Society for its commitment to working toward 100 percent cage free eggs for their US operations.
[Source 2015][More on Factory Farming]

In Jan 2013 General Mills received praise from the Humane Society for announcing that it will eliminate gestation crates - small cages used to confine breeding pigs - from its pork supply chains.
[Source 2013][More on Factory Farming]

This company is a member of Bonsucro - Better Sugar Cane Initiative, a global non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation fostering the sustainability of the sugarcane sector through its leading metric-based certification scheme and its support for continuous improvement for members.
[Source 2014][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), an international membership organization representing more than 100 member companies across the cocoa value chain. WCF is committed to creating a sustainable cocoa economy through economic & social development and environmental stewardship in cocoa-growing communities.
[Source 2014][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
[Source 2017][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of Guidance, a pre-competitive global initiative, convened by Quantis, which aims to provide a methodological guide with credible references that companies can use to account for the climate change impacts of their efforts on sustainable forests and agriculture in an accurate and credible manner.
[Source 2016][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.
[Source 2014][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

This company is a member of The Sustainability Consortium, an organization of diverse global participants that work collaboratively to build a scientific foundation that drives innovation to improve consumer product sustainability. They develop transparent methodologies, tools, and strategies to drive a new generation of products and supply networks that address environmental, social, and economic imperatives.
[Source 2015][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

The United Nations Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of 10 values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. However it's non-binding nature has been widely criticised, and many signatory corporations continue to violate the Compact's values.
[Source x][More on Sustainability Reporting]

This company has signed up to the World Cocoa Foundation's frameworks to combat deforestation in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, signifying commitments on forest protection and restoration, and sustainable cocoa production and farmer livelihoods.
[Source 2017][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

In 2016 Greenpeace published a report on the progress towards zero deforestation in the palm oil supply chains of several multinational companies. Companies were assessed on three criteria: responsible sourcing, transparency and industry reform. This company was rated as 'getting there'.
[Source 2016][More on Palm Oil]

The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (SB 657) requires companies operating in California to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their direct supply chains. KnowTheChain.org has examined this company's disclosure statement and concluded that it addresses the majority of SB 657 requirements. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
[Source 2013][More on Workers Rights]

The Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) is a global initiative that evaluates the world's largest food and beverage manufacturers on their policies, practices and performance related to undernutrition and obesity. Of the 22 companies ranked this company came 10th.
[Source 2016][More on Product Safety]

The 2017 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 98 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world from the Agricultural Products, Apparel and Extractives sectors on 100 human rights indicators. This company's score was in the 30-39 band range. The overall average score was 28.7%.
[Source 2017][More on Human Rights]

The 2017 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report ranks global food companies on how they are managing and reporting their farm animal welfare policies and practices. This company appeared in tier 4, "Making Progress on Implementation", with tier 1 being the best, and tier 6 the worst.
[Source 2018][More on Animal Rights]

Oxfam's 2016 Behind the Brands Scorecard assesses the agricultural sourcing policies of the world's 10 largest food and beverage companies. It exclusively focuses on publicly available information that relates to the policies of these companies on their sourcing of agricultural commodities from developing countries. This company scored 40% (some progress).
[Source 2016][More on Governance]

OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
[Source 2014]