Palm Oil

Statement on responsible palm oil sourcing

We recognize that through our palm oil purchasing practices and cross-sectoral collaboration, we can positively impact ecosystems and people.  

In 2010, we made a commitment to source 100% of our palm oil from responsible and sustainable sources. This goal was achieved in 2015 through the purchase of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified volumes and we have continued to maintain that performance year over year.

Since 2014, we have evolved our sustainable palm sourcing activities reflecting the need to enhance our response to the complex sustainability challenges facing the sector. This began with our first statement on sustainable palm sourcing (2014) and was followed by the introduction of an annual supplier engagement process designed to evaluate the progress of our direct palm suppliers in meeting the principles set out in our policy.

Our Statement on Responsible Palm Oil Sourcing highlights key progress areas including:

• Updated Palm Oil Policy and No Deforestation Commitment
• Ongoing supplier engagement and performance reporting
• Status of RSPO certified volumes and traceability
• Enhanced supply chain transparency
• Internal Grievance Process & public tracker
• Landscape initiatives in key supply sheds

Palm Oil Policy

In 2024, General Mills committed to No Deforestation across its primary deforestation-linked commodities — palm, cocoa, & fiber (pulp & paper) packaging — with a target date of December 31, 2025. The cut-off date for palm is December 31, 2015.

In addition, we aim to source palm oil only from suppliers whose supply chains meet the following principles:  

• Only legal sources
• No development of High Conservation Value (HCV) areas and/or High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests
• No development on peat lands regardless of depth, and use of best management practices for existing plantations on peat
• No burning for new planting or replanting preparation
• Progressive reductions of greenhouse gas emissions
• Respect for the right of all affected communities to give or withhold their free, prior and informed consent for plantation developments on land to which they hold legal, customary or user right

Learn more through our Palm Oil Policy and No Deforestation Statement.

No-deforestation, No-peat, No-exploitation – Implementation Reporting Framework  

As part of our effort to advance progress, General Mills has also joined the No-deforestation, No-peat and No-exploitation Implementation Reporting Framework (NDPE-IRF) active working group – a reporting tool designed to help companies understand and track progress in delivering NDPE commitments, including deforestation-free supply chains.

Supplier engagement

As a downstream buyer, General Mills’ most important mechanism to drive sustainability performance, and compliance with our policy commitments, is through engagement with our direct suppliers.

Supplier evaluation

In 2017, with support from Proforest, General Mills began actively engaging its direct suppliers in review of their level of alignment with, and progress in implementing, our sustainable sourcing principles. The aim is to build an accurate picture of how our suppliers are performing and where there may be gaps or opportunities for improvement. This information is then fed into our annual supplier review process.

We are working to ensure our supplier engagement, performance tracking and reporting align to the expectations outlined in our Palm Oil Policy. This includes ensuring our suppliers are assessed regularly on their performance.

Highlighted KPIs from our 2025 supplier assessment include:

• 10/11 suppliers (98% of volumes) have in place a public NDPE policy/commitment
• 11/11 suppliers (100% of volumes) are reporting volumes progress through the NDPE-IRF profile
• 10/11 suppliers (98% of volumes) have in place a mechanism to identify and respond to palm grievances
• 9/11 suppliers (83% of volumes) are supporting initiatives delivering forest-positive development at landscape and/or sectoral level

Policy expectations – transparency and deforestation monitoring

General Mills’ expectations of its suppliers evolve over time in line with developments in our common understanding of what is needed to drive change in global palm oil supply chains. We periodically communicate these expectations to our direct suppliers as part of our engagement process.

• Mill lists: As noted below, we made public our global supplier mill list in 2018 and 10/11 of our direct suppliers (representing 98% of our volumes) have done the same. Our most recent mill list can be found in the side column.
• Deforestation monitoring: General Mills asks our direct suppliers to cover all palm oil concessions in our supply base with deforestation monitoring systems. As of 2025, 10/11 of our direct suppliers (98% of our volumes) have deforestation monitoring systems in place for concessions.

Status of RSPO Certified Volumes and traceability

Our commitment to source 100% of our palm oil from responsible and sustainable sources was achieved in 2015 through the purchase of RSPO certified volumes. We have continued to maintain that performance year over year, including a purchasing shift toward mass balance and segregated oil and away from certificates.

Our aggregated purchasing volumes for 2024 are provided below. Mass balance and segregated volumes accounted for 98% of our 2024 purchases. In relation to traceability, 95% of our palm oil volume was categorized as traceable to the extraction mill, while further upstream, our traceability of FFB to known production (plantation) is 90%.