General Mills announced that it will accelerate its goal of more than doubling the acreage from which it sources organic ingredients, expecting to reach 250,000 acres by 2019. The company also expects to reach $1 billion in net sales from natural and organic products by 2019, a year ahead of its previous target.
“To achieve the growth we anticipate for our natural and organic brands, we will need a more robust pipeline of organic growers,” said John Church, executive vice president, General Mills Supply Chain. “We’re building strategic relationships directly with farmers for our products and are dedicated to working with growers to optimize production and quality, adopt standard practices, and accelerate supply.”
Through a series of acquisitions since 2000, General Mills has become the third-largest natural and organic food maker in the United States, and its portfolio includes Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, LÄRABAR, Liberté, Mountain High, Food Should Taste Good, Immaculate Baking, and Annie’s, as well as meat snacks maker EPIC Provisions, which it acquired in January.
