General Mills: Only Sustainable Palm Oil

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.In a public statement this week, General Mills said that it will strive to source 100% of our palm oil from responsible and sustainable sources by 2015. The company reports that its objective is to help ensure our purchases are not associated in any way with deforestation of the worlds rainforests as well as to further reinforce the development of certified sustainable palm oil production practices.

General Mills notes that it only uses approximately 0.1% of the worlds production of palm oil, but notes: Nevertheless, we acknowledge that responsible users of even small amounts of ingredients can impact issues via principled purchasing practices.

The Statement on responsible palm oil sourcing outlines several key elements of the companys commitment to responsible sourcing of palm oil. The company expresses concern about the role of the expansion of palm cultivation in the deforestation of the worlds rainforests, and the subsequent impact of deforestation on biodiversity, endangered species, greenhouse gas emissions and indigenous peoples. The company also notes its support for a moratorium on the destruction of high-conservation-value forests and high-carbon-value landscapes; such practices include the draining of peat-lands for expansion of palm oil production.

This is an urgent issue for the planet we share, said Jerry Lynch, chief sustainability officer, General Mills The increase in global demand for palm oil is putting pressure on some of the worlds most-valuable rainforest ecosystems. Our work with environmental organizations, including Rainforest Action Network, helped focus us on this important issue. By addressing responsible palm oil sourcing publicly and directly, we hope to provide leadership with peers and suppliers on the need to produce palm oil in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

As part of this commitment, General Mills has integrated environmentally and socially responsible palm oil production into its assessment of suppliers, including direct review of their palm oil production and sourcing practices. If a supplier should seriously violate Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil policies, notes the company, without acknowledging and immediately moving to acceptably remediate the problem, General Mills will move to suspend or eliminate palm oil purchases from the supplier in question.