GOLDEN VALLEY, MINN. — General Mills, Inc. is collaborating with Walmart Inc. and Sam’s Club to advance the adoption of regenerative agriculture on 600,000 acres in the United States by 2030. The number is approximately how much land General Mills will engage to source key ingredients of its sold products through Walmart and Sam’s Club, each of which believe that regenerative agriculture can help address climate change and create positive outcomes for the people and planet while also building on organizational commitments and leveraging collaboration to help propel industry-wide change.
According to General Mills, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will administer grants to support initial projects, which seek to advance regenerative agriculture outcomes across many types of crops, including wheat, in the Northern and Southern Great Plains. The NFWF also will offer financial assistance to local grantee organizations, building out the education and coaching resources needed to help accelerate regenerative agriculture.
The company said this objective will support the transition to regenerative agriculture production in the United States through systems change and raise the potential for more resilient yields through efforts that will help improve soil health, watersheds, biodiversity, climate change and farmer economic resilience. These efforts will target seven US states in the Northern and Southern Great Plains, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota.
“Through this partnership, we will work hand-in-hand with Walmart and Sam’s Club to help regenerate the acres of land in the key regions where we source ingredients for our shared business,” said Jon Nudi, group president of North America retail at General Mills. “We are excited by the opportunity to bring our products, including Pillsbury refrigerated dough and Blue Buffalo pet food and treats, to Walmart shelves more sustainably, with the help of our merchants and farmer partners.”
The collaboration builds on each company’s sustainability goals, providing a roadmap for future collaborations across organizations and industries and ensuring each company can continue selling quality products. Moreover, General Mills is now on track to exceed its goal of advancing the adoption of regenerative agriculture on one million acres by 2030, and both Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are closer to reaching their goal of protecting, restoring or sustainably managing at least 50 million acres of land by 2030.
“We’re committing to making the everyday choice the more sustainable choice for consumers,” said John Laney, executive vice president, Food at Walmart United States. “This collaboration is an example of how we are working across our value chain on intentional interventions to help advance regenerative agriculture and ensure surety of supply for these essential food products for the long term.”
Read more about sustainability efforts in the pet food and treat industry.
