General Mills, a global food company, has announced new initiatives to promote regenerative agriculture across California and the Northern Great Plains. This strategy is aimed at securing supply for their organic brands while advancing the goal of achieving “one million acres of regenerative agriculture farmland by 2030.”

To achieve this goal, General Mills has partnered with American Farmland Trust and Rodale Institute to focus on areas such as:

• technical assistance
• education
• women farmer empowerment
• soil health

Consumer-facing Initiatives

General Mills is also launching consumer-facing initiatives to involve end-users. For example, select Lärabar packaging will feature a QR code that shoppers can scan to access an immersive website experience to explore the ins and outs of regenerative almond farming and learn more about the partnership. Additionally, during Earth Month (April), consumers can learn about and support the regenerative agriculture farmer-led movement while using their Fetch rewards app to shop all General Mills brands, including:

• Annie’s
• Cascadian Farm
• Cheerios
• Lärabar
• Nature Valley
• Oui
• EPIC Provisions

Regenerative Agriculture to Improve Outcomes

“As a global food company rooted in agriculture, we’re dependent on natural resources, like organic wheat for our Annie’s macaroni and cheese and almonds for our Lärabar products, among others,” says Jon Nudi, Group President for North America Retail at General Mills.

General Mills currently sources 100% of its almonds from California, a state that faces extreme water stress. By advancing regenerative agriculture, Lärabar aims to improve both soil health and water outcomes in this key sourcing area.

Partnership with the Sustainable Herbs Program

General Mills’ partnership with Sustainable Herbs Program has also updated its toolkit to support a long-term supply of botanicals. The program aims to improve the social, economic, and environmental conditions of the communities involved in the production and trade of herbal products.

The Sustainable Herbs Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the sustainability of herbal products.  The toolkit offers a map to help companies at different stages of their sustainability journey and brings together resources and case studies from other sectors to inform and guide a company’s progress. General Mills is intent on aiding businesses on their path to sustainable farming while raising awareness about regenerative agriculture.