General Mills

In 2023, General Mills completed TCFD-aligned scenario analysis for three scenarios, including a below 2C scenario and disclosed that it is in the process of updating its climate risk assessment. The company identified risks for 10 priority ingredients, including U.S. dairy. However, the company does not disclose risks associated with meat as part of its supply chain. General Mills did not mention protein diversification in its scenario analysis, citing regenerative agriculture as the primary lever the company plans to implement to mitigate its climate risk.

The company discloses a full breakdown of its Scope 3 emissions derived from animal agriculture by protein type, with agriculture and ingredients accounting for 49% of total emissions, dairy contributing 17% and 12% of emissions attributed to meat.

General Mills renewed its commitments to the SBTi, aligning its Scope 3 emissions reduction target to a 1.5°C scenario and committing to reach net-zero by 2050 by reducing absolute Scope 3 emissions, including FLAG. The company's 2030 target to reduce 30% of full value chain emissions is not 1.5°C aligned.

General Mills has not quantified the emissions mitigation potential and/or financial opportunity of protein diversification within its climate disclosure.

General Mills has not set a public protein diversification target.

General Mills has not set a public protein diversification target.

General Mills has not set a public protein diversification target.

General Mills has not set a public protein diversification target.

General Mills does not have a public protein diversification target to report progress towards and does not disclose metrics related to alternative protein sources.

General Mills does not have a public protein diversification target and so does not report annual progress.

General Mills has not linked short-term or long-term board incentives to Scope 3 emissions reductions or protein diversification, with incentives mainly based on financial objectives.

There is no evidence that any of the company's board members have technical expertise in climate risk or sustainability. However, the board does oversee the Public Responsibility Committee, which manages the company's sustainability, environmental, climate and corporate social responsibility strategies, plans and objectives. To enhance the board’s understanding of the company’s commitment to regenerative agriculture, the board has heard from leaders in the space, and visited a regenerative agriculture farm in 2024.

The company discloses that 67% of its board members have expertise in health and wellness.

General Mills discloses its public policy positions on 5 key topics, including: regenerative agriculture and soil heath; combatting climate change; advancing water stewardship; and packaging and food waste, as well as subsequent lobbying actions the company has taken to advance these topics.

General Mills discloses its direct lobbying actions as related to its food business, many of which are aligned with positive climate and nutrition outcomes. On climate, the company discloses support for policies that will advance regenerative agriculture, improve water stewardship, and address food waste. On nutrition, General Mills advocates for policies that support increased consumption of nutrient dense products to meet dietary requirements.

The company discloses a full list of its affiliations with associations, alliances, coalitions, think tanks, and other organisations to which it provides support or is a member, including the Consumer Brands Association, The Whole Grains Council and Pet Food Institute.

General Mills discloses the alignment of some of its trade associations with positive climate and nutrition outcomes, however, there are some trade associations where it is unclear to what extent these initiatives align with positive climate and nutrition outcomes, or if the company has plans to address misalignment if applicable. Examples of trade associations where there is no clear assessment of alignment include; MN Business Partnership, MN Chamber of Commerce, and the Pet Food Institute.

General Mills has committed to Just Transition principles as part of its human rights efforts and provided a high-level statement that these will be applied to its agricultural supply chains, although there is no explicit mention of animal agricultural supply chains.

It is unclear how General Mills is upskilling or retraining its workers affected by the company's' decarbonisation efforts.

General Mills discloses that it is supporting dairy suppliers in adopting more sustainable agricultural practices in the US, Canada, and France; however, only its French project has evolved beyond a pilot stage, which is not the company's largest market. In France, the company launched a 5-year partnership with 50 dairy farms to support them in reducing emissions by up to 30%. In the US and Canada, the company discloses projects to build capacity and coach farmers on how to adopt regenerative agriculture practices, although the scale of these projects is unclear.

General Mills has a publicly disclosed Just Transition strategy integrated into its Climate Transition Action Plan, but it does not explicitly mention animal agriculture or specific actions related to animal supply chains. The company outlines its commitment to aligning climate actions with human rights principles, including engaging stakeholders, conducting impact assessments, and prioritizing positive social outcomes.

General Mills’ Just Transition strategy has been developed with input from key social actors. The company references engagement with external expertise and precompetitive peer coalitions, such as AIM-Progress Climate Change, the Just Transition Working Group, and its partners Human Level and Proforest, to help shape its strategy. It also highlights conducting a salient human rights issues analysis with third-party expert LRQA, which informs its climate-related priorities.

General Mills does not have publicly reported KPIs to track progress towards its Just Transition strategy.

General Mills does not have publicly reported KPIs to track annual progress towards its Just Transition strategy.

General Mills launched own brand plant-based products in its largest US market in the past year. These include Cascadian Farm Organic Honey Cashew Protein and Cocoa Almond Protein Granolas and Progresso Protein Heart Grain Vegetable Soup.

General Mills evidences one type of resource allocation to improve the perfomance of alternative protein products in the past year. The company's Larabar brand funded regenerative almond production and provided grants to women farmers through the American Farmland Trust to improve the sustainability of its products.

General Mills does not have a minimum health and nutrition requirement for its alternative protein source portfolio aligned with a government-endorsed nutrient profiling system. Although, the company reports the volume of products that qualify as ''healthier'' under the Australian Government's Health Star Rating (HSR) system (≥3.5) and the International Food and Beverage Alliance's (IFBA) Common Nutrition Criteria. In 2024, 19% of the company's own volume met the IFBA criteria and 26% scored ≥3.5 on Health Star. Additionally, the company developed its own "Nutrient Forward Criteria", which is partly based on the US Food and Drug Administration's Health Criteria: 21 Code of Federal Regulations 101.65, with 45% of its global volume meeting the criteria in 2024, although it is unclear if the company has set a target for healthy sales.

General Mills provides a high-level statement that it is reformulating products to improve nutrition, which includes alternative protein products. The company fortifies products, including its whole grain ranges, in line with public health principles and uses nutrient density as a guiding framework, however, specific examples of alternative protein products reformulated with improved nutritional attributes are not disclosed.

General Mills evidences reformulation of alternative protein products to improve sustainability attributes. The company is advancing regenerative agriculture in almond production to improve the sustainability of its Larabar's and formulated its Trail Mix Bars with 51% of almonds sourced from farmers using regenerative practices.

There is no evidence that General Mills has committed to marketing and merchandising strategies related to alternative proteins in its largest markets.

General Mills is marketing alternative protein products in its largest US market by promoting plant-based product launches on its social media platforms, such as Facebook, and including plant-based recipes that use General Mills' vegan products on its website.

General Mills has made a high-level claim that it is working to ensure its alternative protein source products are accessible and affordable. The company aims to make nutrient dense foods accessible and affordable, including its whole grain granola bars, however, there is no evidence of specific company actions to improve accessibility and affordability of plant-based products.

There is no evidence that General Mills has conducted consumer research investigating trends within the alternative protein sources sector.

There is no evidence that General Mills has used consumer research relating to healthy diets to inform its marketing and merchandising strategy for alternative protein sources.