Health Communities Environment Corporate Social Responsibility 2011 Table of contents 1 To our stakeholders 19 Promoting healthy, active living 40 Working Mother Hall of Fame 69 Setting a sustainable packaging goal 2 Introduction 21 Weight management 42 Leading programs that 70 Logistics and transportation promote work/life flexibility 22 Coalition of food companies 71 A growing number of 5 HEALTH works to reduce obesity 43 Leading workplace LEED-certified buildings 5 Measuring our progress wellness programs 23 Investing in health and 72 Building on sustainable 5 Health profile advances in 2010 nutrition research 45 Working to improve best practices workplace safety 6 Rolling out nutritious products 23 Updating marketing guidelines 74 Global sustainability efforts 7 Global partnerships to 46 Promoting diversity and inclusion 74 ‘Think Global, Volunteer 24 CommuniTiEs promote health 48 Supplier diversity video Local’ united employees 24 Giving tops $100 million 7 Improving the nutrition profile highlights thriving program 75 Cascadian Farm Earth Day in our international products 25 International giving on the rise 50 Corporate governance message: Live Green Together 8 Trimming the fat 26 P roduct donations 51 Ethics and compliance 76 Nature Valley supports U.S. parks 9 Focus on sodium reduction 26 Helping feed the hungry 52 Responsible sourcing 77 Red-tailed hawks make 9 Trimming sodium in cereals, 27 Charitable corporate contributions headquarters office home 54 EnvironmEnT canned vegetables and brand philanthropy 78 issuEs 55 P rogress on sustainability goals 10 Reducing sugar in kid cereals 27 Box Tops grows to new levels 78 Responsible palm oil sourcing 56 Continuous Improvement and 11 No. 1 whole grain source at breakfast 27 Cause campaign brings Holistic Margin Management 78 BPA in can linings pink efforts together 11 CPW boosts whole grain, culture deepens 79 Moving to cage-free eggs in Europe reduces sugar 29 Join My Village 57 Reducing our energy usage 79 Food security and biotechnology 12 Promoting dietary fiber 31 Changing the world one 58 Burningoathullsforenergy laptop at a time 80 AppEndix 12 Providing essential nutrients 61 Reducing greenhouse gas emissions 32 Employee citizenship 80 Company profile 13 Promoting global food safety 62 Reducing our water usage 33 Expanding efforts in Africa 81 Company awards 14 Assisting with special dietary needs (Partners in Food Solutions) 63 A passion for water conservation 82 Workplace Safety and 15 Affordable, nutritious food 34 Project Peanut Butter: 64 Reducing solid waste generation rate Environmental Protection policy 16 Empowering people with information Nourishing lives and souls 66 Building on a strong 83 Supplier Code of Conduct and tools to make good choices 36 Giving garden volunteers environmental foundation 84 Acknowledgements 17 Expanding our Hispanic ‘dig the dirt’ to help others 66 European plants recognized outreach with Qué Rica Vida 40 Employer of choice for environmental systems To our stakeholders Welcometoour2011CorporateSocialResponsibilityreport.OurmissionatGeneralMillsis NourishingLives.Inside,you’llfindanupdateontheprogresswe’remakingtoenhancethenourishment weprovide…tobetterthelivesofthepeopleweserve…andtoprotecttheplanetweshare. We’ve made a lot of progress in One of our best examples is Partners We’ve also established aggressive 2010 and have a lot to be proud of. in Food Solutions, our effort to new sustainability goals for 2015, coordinate the business and technical recognizing that work in this area is We improved the health profile of expertise of company volunteers and never done. Many challenges remain. products comprising nearly 24 percent of other food companies to aid small our U.S. Retail sales in fiscal 2010 – the Our goal is to stand among the most and medium-sized processors in largest one-year gain in our history. socially responsible consumer food four African countries. I hope you’ll companies in the world. Every day we Ken Powell, Chairman, All of our cereals advertised to kids read about it and watch our video. work to earn the trust of consumers, Chief Executive Officer, under 12 are now at 10 grams or less of Finally, I encourage you to learn beginning with the safety of our products. General Mills sugar per serving – and our pledge to more about the many environmental Being a responsible corporate citizen reduce this to single-digit grams is within initiatives that are taking hold is integral to maintaining that trust. striking distance. We’re also making throughout our company. good on our promise to trim the sodium This report – our 41st year of reporting by 20 percent in about 400 of our In December 2010, our new oat burner at back to the community – is designed products by 2015. And we’re not done. our Fridley, Minn., flour mill came online. to open the front door of our It burns some of the discarded oat hulls company so everyone can see how Our goal is to be the health leader in from the milling process to produce about we’re doing as corporate citizens. every food category in which we compete. 90 percent of the steam needed to heat As always, we welcome your We also reached a milestone with our the plant and to produce oat flour used questions and comments – and we philanthropy. For the first time, we in making Cheerios and other products. hope you’ll join us in making General surpassed the $100 million giving mark. Solar panels are going up at several Mills a more sustainable company But perhaps more importantly, our of our facilities. We’re saving water at and the world a better place. Visit our employees volunteer at nearly three our plants and through our work with Corporate Social Responsibility times the average of comparably farmers. And we’ve cut our solid waste website. sized companies. Philanthropy is generation rate by a third since 2005. deeply embedded in our culture. General Mills Corporate Social Responsibility 1 Introduction OurmissionatGeneralMillsisNourishingLives®–makingliveshealthier,easierandricher. CSR report Everydaythroughouttheworld,our33,000employeesworktocarryoutthismission. organization We make lives healthier with foods We make lives richer with foods importance we place in honestly This report is organized into three such as Yoplait yogurt, Progresso soups, to celebrate special moments – and openly communicating with sections to align with our mission: Green Giant vegetables, ready-to-eat whether it’s a Betty Crocker cake for our many stakeholders. n Health: the nourishment whole grain cereals like Cheerios, and a child’s birthday, a Nature Valley we provide, outlines the organic food like Cascadian Farm bar to enjoy while on a hike or the progress we’re making in vegetables and Lärabar energy bars. trimmings for a festive holiday meal. Nourishing Lives through our food products, and how we’re We make lives easier with foods that This marks our 41st year of reporting improving the nutritional profile are simple to prepare – like a Pillsbury back to the community on the progress throughout our portfolio. crescent dinner roll that can be baked in we’ve made over the past year. Our minutes or a Totino’s frozen pizza that decades-long record of reporting n Communities: the people WATCH VIDEO can be popped into the oven and served. to the community underscores the we serve, outlines the many See an overview of General Mills’ ways we engage our stakeholders Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. – whether through the General Mills Foundation, volunteering in our communities, or through cause-marketing programs such as Box Tops for Education. General Mills around the world We also include our employees among our stakeholders and Our Company strive to be an employer of choice. (fiscal 2010) n Environment: the planet we Net sales $16 billion* share, outlines the progress Net earnings $1.5 billion we’re making toward becoming Community a more sustainable company. contributions $100 million Our overall progress in each of these Employees worldwide 33,000 areas is reported for fiscal year Operates in 2010. We also include information more than 100 countries about some of our other activities in these areas for the entire Markets more than 100 consumer brands 2010 calendar year (to illustrate progress on new initiatives). *Includes $1.2 billion proportionate Regions with General Mills presence share of joint venture net sales General Mills Corporate Social Responsibility 2 Engaging stakeholders We solicit input from groups like Ceres– a organizations) and the United Nations initiative. The CDP compiles data (ADA) to fund nutrition research and coalition of investors, environmental dedicated to improving human rights, from 2,500 organizations in some help promote nutrition education. organizations and other public interest labor, the environment and business 60 countries around the world. And we work with a variety of groups that work with companies practices. We are committed to working Concerning nutrition, we work with organizations on food safety – from to advance their environmental and globally on these important issues. several organizations including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation social performance – to ensure we We have been participants in the the American Gastroenterological forum to the Institute of Medicine and address issues of concern to them. Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) since Association (AGA), the American the National Organic Standards Board. We are also a member of the United its inception in 2000 and regularly Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), Nations