MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills, Inc. is bent on furthering its commitment to double organic acreage by partnering with Organic Valley, a Wisconsin-based independent cooperative of organic farmers.
General Mills on June 8 announced plans for a strategic sourcing partnership with Organic Valley. As part of the partnership, over the next three years General Mills will help 20 dairy farms add approximately 3,000 acres to organic dairy production. General Mills has been striving to accelerate its sourcing of organic acreage, and has done so by 120% since 2009. The food company is currently the third largest maker of natural and organic foods.
The supply for organic food in the United States has not been able to keep pace with demand, General Mills said, and as a result the Minneapolis-based company is looking to keep up with consumers. The alignment with Organic Valley will bolster General Mills’ relationships with the organic dairy farmers who will be supporting its yogurt operating unit in the United States, which features brands such as Yoplait, Annie’s, and Liberte, the company said.
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| David Clark, president of the General Mills Yogurt Operating Unit |
“We are committed to supporting a framework in partnership with Organic Valley that will not only ensure a consistent supply chain, but also make it easier for dairy farmers to successfully manage through the transition to organic,” said David Clark, president of the General Mills Yogurt Operating Unit.
In 2013, as part of the company's sustainable sourcing commitment, General Mills said that by the year 2020, 100% of its U.S. directly sourced fluid milk would be sourced from producing regions that demonstrate continuous improvement as measured by the Dairy Sustainability Framework in the United States and other comparative environmental metrics globally.
