General Mills: A History Of Responsibility Officially taking the name in 1928, General Mills has become one of the largest food companies in the world. They own brands like Cheerios, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Green Giant, Betty Crocker, Old El Paso, Totino’s and Progresso. Since the creation of their corporation, General Mills have established themselves as a company that flourishes by being socially and economically responsible. Their mission is to lead by example, and by doing so hope to promote positive change. Unlike other large corporations, General Mills uses their profits to give back.
They have a strong commitment to their community, environment, and their employees. The Community Since the beginning of the company in the late 1800’s, General Mills has held a firm commitment to the community. Their commitment has enhanced the lives of families and children across the globe, and helps cities and neighborhoods grow and prosper. The most notable accomplishment General Mills has made to express their dedication towards giving back to the community, was the formation of the General Mills Foundation in 1954. Since then, the foundation and the company together have donated $700 million to communities across the United States.
The foundation has supported numerous organizations and has made grants available, providing money to causes ranging from youth nutrition to education and the arts. General Mills is dedicated to the health and fitness of youth. Their breakthrough ideas, including The General Mills Champions for Healthy Kidsa teach children across the United States how to eat healthy and stay physically active. General Mills has invested nearly $11 million over the past five years in these programs that have reached over 2 million children.
General Mills also helps feed hungry Americans. For many years, they have teamed up with America’s Second Harvest and contributed over $21 million worth of General Mills products to more than 200 food banks across the country. Not only has General Mills contributed to the communities in the United States, but they have also reached out to communities around the globe. General Mills have adopted five schools in Malawi, and are helping to feed and support over 3,000 children who, would under normal circumstances go hungry. The Environment
Another cause that General Mills takes seriously is the environment. In 2003, General Mills adopted a sustainability program. The program created a representation of the overall impact of the food industry on the environment. It included the food industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and energy consumption. The plan focused on how they could be more environmentally conscious. In the past two years General Mills have reduced: Water usage rate by 5% Energy consumption rate by 15% Greenhouse gas emission rate by 15% Solid waste generation waste by 15%
General Mills believes that higher yielding sweet corn varieties over the next five years will reduce land use dramatically. The Agricultural Research Department sets goals to: Reduce insecticide applications on sweet corn by 30 percent Reduce herbicide use by 5 percent. Reduce water use in broccoli acreage using more efficient drip irrigation technology. General Mills is also a firm believer in recycling. They have done extensive research on ways to efficiently reduce solid waste. General Mills have been using recycling materials for shipping boxes since the 1930’s.
They are still today one of the largest users of recycled paper products. Their commitment to the environment shows that they are a company that is thinking about the safety of the people and future generations. Employees General Mills considers their employees as their companies most valuable asset. They strive on a trustful and respectful work environment. Unlike other large companies, General Mills values the way people differ including gender, age, race, and sexual orientation. No matter where General Mills does business they comply with all laws and standards including pay and discrimination.
General Mills have received many awards and recognitions based on their commitment to valuing their employees. America’s Most Admired Companies, Fortune 100 Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, Working Mothers Magazine Best Places to Launch a Career, BusinessWeek General Mills believes that by providing their employees with wellness resources they will cut down on time lost and decrease medical spending. And for over 50 years, they have provided those resources. They focus on prevention and helping employees make good, healthy decisions.
Today’s workforce would be a great deal healthier, more reliable, and would be more optimistic about their careers if they had these types of resources available to them. General Mills spend a great deal of money marketing these socially responsible efforts. On just about every box of cereal you pick up, you will see these marketing techniques. Every General Mills cereal boxes you see have content promoting healthy and physically active kids. They also do a great deal of marketing for non-profit organizations including the United Way. General Mills have shown a great deal of responsibility.
Their efforts are unparallel to the vast majority of other companies. And, because General Mills is such a role model in the food industry, people respect them and continue to do business with them. Their responsibility efforts include numerous advantages over their competition including customer loyalty. Even with their global commitments, General Mills have always have had their prices in checked compared to their competitors. However, recently, General Mills have increased it’s prices due solely to the prices of ingredients, not because of their marketing habits.
Since the price of all most everything has gone up, General Mills was forced to raise the prices. However, according to figures represented by forbes. com, their sales are at an all time high. Could their corporate responsibility have anything to do with this? General Mills dedication to their employees, their value of the environment, and their commitment to giving back to the community make them one of the elite corporate citizens. Works Cited “Community Action Report. ” General Mills. 4 Sept. 2008 http://www. generalmills. com/corporate/commitment/corpcit. pdf. Corporate Social Responsibility. ” General Mills. 5 Sept. 2008 http://www. generalmills. com/corporate/commitment/new_csr_2008. pdf. Farrell, Andrew. “Price Is Right For General Mills. ” 27 Aug. 2007. Forbes. 7 Sept. 2008 http://www. forbes. com/markets/2007/08/27/general-mills-cereal-markets-equity-cx_af_0827markets11. html. “General Mills History. ” General Mills. 8 Sept. 2008 http://www. generalmills. com/corporate/company/hist_searchablebook. pdf. “General Mills. ” Wikipedia. 8 Sept. 2008 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/general_mills#box_tops_for_education.
