General Mills, Inc. (General Mills), a US-based manufacturer of consumer foods such as cereal, convenient meals, and snacks, ranks 19 out of 60 companies. Compared to 2020, the company improved its performance and disclosure across the themes of Commitment & Governance, Risk Assessment, Grievance Mechanisms and Remedy. The company’s score is based on its stronger performance on Commitment & Governance, Traceability & Risk Assessment, where it discloses details of its risk assessment process, including stakeholders involved, and the risks identified through that process, and Worker Voice, disclosing data on grievance mechanisms. It does not, however, disclose engaging with unions to support freedom of association in its supply chains. The company performed poorly on the themes of Recruitment, where it did not disclose a policy on recruitment fee prevention or responsible recruitment efforts, Purchasing Practices and performed below average on the theme of Monitoring, providing limited information on its audit methodology.
KnowTheChain identified one additional allegation of forced labor in the company’s supply chains. The company discloses disengaging with the suppliers in question and issuing ‘no buy orders’. However, the company neither discloses engagement with affected stakeholders, nor remedy outcomes for workers.
The company is encouraged to improve its performance and disclosure on the themes of Purchasing Practices and Recruitment.