General Mills
Corprate Bias Ratings
Risk Level:
Summary:
General Mills vets vendors according to LGBTQ policies, is part of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, and does not provide its employees with protections against viewpoint discrimination. The company not publicly terminated business relationships based on views or beliefs. The company covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care" for its employees and their children. The company regularly uses its corporate reputation to promote ideological causes. General Mills advocates for and funds LGBTQ causes and organizations. General Mills is committed to carbon neutrality by 2040. It has also weaponized its PAC against Republican election objectors. However, it does not discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving. For these reasons, General Mills receives a Medium Risk rating.
Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.
General Mills is a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which aims to demonetize advertisements and suppress content that “vilifies” individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity, discusses “debated social issues in a negative or partisan context” or spreads “hate speech” (1)(2)(3). The company received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign. Among other requirements, this means General Mills has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (4). However, the company has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious beliefs or political views.
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
General Mills’ charitable giving prioritizes food security and education. The company does not discriminate in its giving based on a charity’s religious affiliation (1). According to the most recently available tax filing, General Mills does donate to religious, charitable organizations achieving its charitable goals (2).
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
General Mills does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
General Mills has signed open letters supporting the Equality Act and transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports (1)(2). General Mills signed an open letter opposing a Florida bill that would prevent teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (3). Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, General Mills paused its advertising on the platform (4). The company is a Ceres Network Member, committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2040 (5)(6). General Mills has supported LGBT causes through blog posts on its website (7).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
General Mills is a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media and a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1)(2)(3)(4). The company has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (5)(6).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
September 21, 2023
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Voting History
| Date | ESG Category | Proponent | Summary of Resolution | Mgmt Rec | Total Vote % in Favor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/27/22 | Environmental | Green Century Capital Management | Report on Absolute Plastic Packaging Use Reduction | Against | 56.49% |
| 9/27/22 | Governance | Kenneth Steiner | Require Independent Board Chair | Against | 41.75% |