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https://www.ecowatch.com/general-mills-glyphosate-2464624927.html

Court Rules Against General Mills Motion to Dismiss, Says It's Reasonable Consumers Wouldn't Consider Glyphosate-Containing Nature Valley Granola Bars 'Natural'

Moms Across America, Organic Consumers Association and Beyond Pesticides announced Monday that the District of Columbia Superior Court has rejected General Mills' motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the three nonprofits against the maker of Nature Valley granola bars. The recent ruling upholds the right of nonprofits to bring these types of complaints against corporations. It also reinforces the notion that consumers can reasonably expect a product labeled "100% Natural" to be free of herbicides.

These three nonprofit groups sued General Mills in August 2016, for misleading the public by labeling Nature Valley brand granola bars as "Made with 100% NATURAL whole grain OATS" after tests revealed the presence of the chemical herbicide glyphosate, an ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and hundreds of other glyphosate-based herbicides. The suit was brought on behalf of the nonprofits' members in Washington, DC, under the District of Columbia's Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

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The effort to defeat the tougher food standards heated up late last spring and summer, when lobbyists said they went on high alert.

On July 12, White House visitor logs show a who's who of food company chief executives and lobbyists visited the White House. The group met with Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior adviser, and Melody Barnes, then director of the president's Domestic Policy Council. Among the group at the meeting: CEOs of Nestle USA, Kellogg, General Mills, and top executives at Walt Disney, Time Warner, and Viacom, owner of the Nickelodeon children's channel -- companies with some of the biggest financial stakes in marketing to children. Those companies have a combined market value of more than $350 billion.

Two people who attended -- lobbyist Scott Faber of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Kolish of the Better Business Bureau -- said the group told the White House that it opposed government action and favored voluntary initiatives. Other participants and the White House have declined to describe the meeting or did not respond to requests for comment.

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oxfam low score: http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/brands/general-mills/betty-crocker

kelloggs (diff co) http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/brands/kelloggs/cornflakes

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U.S. farmers are among the most productive in the world, but that productivity comes at a huge cost: Their practices are not sustainable, especially in regard to pollution and water use. That’s why it’s encouraging to see Field to Market, a public/private partnership that includes Unilever, General Mills and Procter & Gamble, announce an ambitious effort to accelerate sustainable growing practices on 20 percent of the nation’s farmland—50 million acres—by 2020. The colossal corn sector—the U.S.’s biggest commodity crop by far—will be a top priority.

On July 12, White House visitor logs show a who's who of food company chief executives and lobbyists visited the White House. The group met with Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior adviser, and Melody Barnes, then director of the president's Domestic Policy Council. Among the group at the meeting: CEOs of Nestle USA, Kellogg, General Mills, and top executives at Walt Disney, Time Warner, and Viacom, owner of the Nickelodeon children's channel-- companies with some of the biggest financial stakes in marketing to children. Those companies have a combined market value of more than $350 billion.

Two people who attended -- lobbyist Scott Faber of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Kolish of the Better Business Bureau -- said the group told the White House that it opposed government action and favored voluntary initiatives. Other participants and the White House have declined to describe the meeting or did not respond to requests for comment.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/27/us-usa-foodlobby-idUSBRE83Q0ED20120427

General Mills is one of the world's largest food companies with revenues of $11.6 billion. In Europe, its cereals and snacks are available through joint ventures. The company is also in Asia, Australia, and Latin America.[1] General Mills product range includes snacks, yogurt, ice-cream, prepared cereal products, convenience dinner foods, refrigerated dough and baking products such as Bisquick baking mixes and Betty Crocker. [1]

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"Whole Grain" Nutrition

On the heels of the dietary guidelines and food pyramid update in 2005, General Mills announced the launch of reformulated "whole grain" versions of its cereals. Cereal boxes were plastered with huge "whole grain" banners as well as the revamped food pyramid, called MyPyramid. Everything from Reese's Puffs to Cookie Crisps, Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms were labeled as "whole grain," despite other ingredients such as canola oil, corn syrup, dextrose, gelatin, artificial flavors and various dyes. Explaining the contradiction, General Mills argues that high sugar content is unimportant given the cereals' overall nutritional benefits: "Even with presweetened cereals, there really is no better breakfast your child eat in the morning. Presweetened cereals account for less than 5 percent of your sugar for the entire day, but because it's fortified and nutritionally dense for the amount of calories, there really is not better breakfast your child could eat."[2]

Marketing to Children

In the wake of increasing criticism of sugary cereals, General Mills launched a television campaign dubbed "Choose Breakfast" to portray itself as a champion of children's health. Launched in June 2005, the campaign purports to "communicate the benefits of breakfast to children."[3] General Mills tried to give the campaign "public service" respectability by claiming the campaign is "non-branded," but the ten-second spots are paired with twenty-second commercials for the company's cereals, including Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, and Trix. The Trix rabbit and Lucky Charms leprechaun also appear in ads touting the benefits of physical activity, presumably to help the kids work off the sugar found in their cereal bowls.[4]

Pushing Pancakes with Fake News

In March 2006, a video news release (VNR) produced for General Mills / Bisquick by the PR firm Medialink Worldwide aired on at least four television stations, disguised as "news." The stations who aired the VNR were KYTX-19 in Tyler, Texas; WBOC-16 in Salisbury, Maryland; WFXW-38 in Terre Haute, Indiana; and WILX-10 in Lansing, Michigan. [2]

The VNR featured new ideas for pancake dishes, such as Mexican corncakes, orange toffee pancakes, banana split pancakes, and PB&J shortstacks. The VNR coincided with "National Pancake Week," created in 1985 by General Mills and Bisquick. [3]

Getting Multicultural

In August 2006, PR Week reported that General Mills "is simultaneously launching two separate PR campaigns targeting African-American and Hispanic communities." The African-American campaign, headed by the firm Circulation Expertí and starting October 1, is called "Serving Up Soul." The promotion centers around a contest, judged by "lifestyle expert" B. Smith, "to find a woman 'who serves up soul [food] in the most creative way,'" according to the firm's Tenley-Ann Hawkins. [4]

The Hispanic campaign, headed by Hispania Public Relations and starting September 1, is called "Que Rica Vida" ("What a Rich Life"). The promotion centers on mural contests for children, held in Houston, Miami and Los Angeles. The contests "will be supported by a substantial promotional component called 'retailtainment' events, where the agency hands out goody bags." It also includes a Que Rica Vida magazine, with "sections on nutrition and home life." [5]

Political contributions

General Mills gave $205,250 to federal candidates in the 05/06 election cycle through its political action committee (PAC) - 32% to Democrats, 68% to Republicans.[5]

Lobbying

The company spent $760,000 for lobbying in 2006. Of this total, $230,000 was to outside lobbying firms, including Alliance for American Advertising. General Mills has in-house lobbyists also. [6]

Personnel

Key executives and 2007 pay: [7]

Options

exercised
Kendall J. Powell, Chief Executive Officer$2,020,000$2,230,000
Randy G. Darcy, Executive Vice President$1,180,000$1,460,000
Jeffrey J. Rotsch, Executive Vice President$1,170,000$2,630,000

Selected board members

[8]

Contact

1 General Mills Blvd.

Minneapolis, MN 55426

Phone: (763) 764-7600

Fax: (763) 764-7384

Web: http://www.generalmills.com

Articles & sources

SourceWatch articles

References

  1. ↑ General Mills, Hoovers, accessed June 2007.
  2. ↑ Marybeth Thorsgaard, General Mills spokesperson, quoted in Michele Simon Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Nation Books, 2006) pg 95
  3. ↑ FindArticles - "General Mills Launches New Children's Advertising Initiative" Business Wire, June 22, 2005
  4. ↑ Michele Simon, Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back (Nation Books, 2006) pg 120
  5. ↑ 2006 PAC Summary Data, Open Secrets, accessed October 2007.
  6. ↑ General Mills lobbying expenses, Open Secrets, accessed October 2007.
  7. ↑ General Mills Key Executives, Yahoo Finance, accessed October 2007.
  8. ↑ Board of Directors, General Mills, accessed October 2007.

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