Regenerative Agriculture: General Mills's Sweet Corn Supply

General Mills operates as a global food industry leader, managing a portfolio of more than 100 consumer brands such as Nature Valley, Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs and Pillsbury.

The business has introduced a new programme aimed at advancing regenerative agriculture throughout its Green Giant sweet corn supply chain in south-western France.

The company will work alongside agricultural cooperative Euralis to support improvements in soil health, water stewardship and long-term resilience.

Strengthening UK supply chains

Green Giant has established itself as a trusted brand within UK households, achieving sales of more than £47.7m (US$62m) in 2025.

The regenerative agriculture programme encompasses 250 farms that supply the Green Giant production facility in the Landes region of France, where the brand has maintained operations since 1976.

All farms participating in the project are situated within 200 km of the production site, creating a tightly integrated supply chain that could help ensure consistent quality and security of sweet corn supply.

According to Benjamin Duché, EU Regenerative Agriculture Lead at General Mills: "Our approach puts producers at the centre, supported by local expertise and robust measurement of progress.

"By working closely with partners on the ground, we are focused on delivering practical change that supports both environmental outcomes and long-term productivity."

Collaborative approach to regenerative farming

The initiative from General Mills depends on collaboration between Green Giant and Euralis.

Euralis provides advisory services to farmers, with operations spanning several business areas including agriculture, seeds and food products.

The programme emphasises scaling agroecological practices that are designed to improve soil fertility, protect water resources and strengthen the resilience of sweet corn production.

General Mills is offering targeted technical and financial support to farmers, which includes co-financing the use of cover crops to help protect and regenerate soils.

As part of the project, all agronomist technicians at the Green Giant site will complete an 18-month training programme focused on field-level support tailored to local soil conditions and water management challenges.

The initiative aims for all of Green Giant's sweet corn acreage involved in the programme to be transitioning towards regenerative agriculture practices by the end of 2027.

Cédric Brana, Head of the Fruit and Vegetable Producers' Organisation at Euralis, says: "As a leader in regenerative agriculture practices in its territories, Euralis is committed to deploying Opti'Ag (the comprehensive advisory programme for sustainable farming) across all its contract crops.

"This initiative naturally includes 250 Green Giant sweet corn producers.

"The advisory services provided by our agronomists are based on three pillars: soil diagnostics, the use of cover crops and water management. Opti'Ag meets the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expectations of our partner Green Giant and reflects our own CSR strategy."

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Alignment with broader sustainability commitments

The Green Giant initiative contributes to General Mills's commitment to advance regenerative agriculture across 400,000 hectares of farmland worldwide by 2030.

The company characterises regenerative agriculture as a "principles-based, holistic approach to farming" that builds resilience in ecosystems and the community.

This encompasses practices such as minimising soil disturbance, increasing crop diversity and maintaining soil cover.

The approach aims to advance scientific understanding of regenerative agriculture outcomes and increase adoption of regenerative farming practices.

General Mills has previously implemented similar pilot programmes across key European supply chains, including dairy farms supplying Häagen-Dazs in northern France.

Jeff Harmening, Chairman and CEO of General Mills, says: "For nearly 160 years, General Mills has been making the food the world loves.

"We know it's more than what's on a plate – it's the farmers who grow it and the communities our plants support; it's about putting food safety and quality first; it's about accessible and affordable nutrition; and it's about providing families with taste, joy and choice.

"By partnering with farmers and local organisations, we have engaged more than 600,000 acres (242,811 hectares) in programming designed to advance regenerative agriculture in our key sourcing regions."