General Mills has released its latest annual responsibility report which details efforts to remove synthetic colours from food products, boost its organic food output and divert almost nine billion pounds of food waste since 2014.

Minneapolis-based General Mills, the company that makes Cheerios and Häagen-Dazs, published its 2026 Global Responsibility Report showing its progress on three key areas (food, planet, people) in the 2025 fiscal year.

The company — which has over 100 brands across 100 countries — and makes other brands such as Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Totino’s and Annie’s, releases the report each year and has been doing so since 1970.

“For 160 years, we’ve been making food the world loves, while standing for good. We are proudly leading the way in strengthening communities and investing to support a healthy planet. I’m energized by our accomplishments and steadfastly committed to creating a lasting, positive future for us all,” Jeff Harmening, chairman and chief executive officer of General Mills, said in a press release.

Getting rid of artificial colours 

The company touted its effort remove synthetic or non-organic food dyes — which have been linked to some harms and in some cases haven't had enough long-term testing according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — from its lineup.

“One example is our commitment to remove certified colours from our foods. Ahead of schedule, as of March 2026, all our K-12 school foods are now made without certified colours, and we remain on track to remove certified colours from all our U.S. cereals by summer 2026 and from our full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027,” Harmening said in a letter introducing the report.

This effort is also reflected in its overall portfolio as 85 per cent of General Mills’ U.S. retail product portfolio is made without certified colours, the report said.

The company also touted its overall nutrition efforts by increasing "positive ingredients" such as whole grain, fibre and iron, while reducing “limiter nutrients” like sodium and sugar.

“From fiscal 2005 to 2018, we tracked and shared our progress, whereby we improved the nutrition of our U.S. retail sales volume by 81 per cent primarily by increasing positive nutrients or decreasing nutrients to limit,” the report said.

As well, 21 per cent of its U.S. retail volume contained "a good source of dietary fibre," General Mills said.

Giving back to community

In 2025, the company's charitable works were worth $83.2 million and 27 million meals were enabled by donations of General Mills food worldwide.

The company highlighted its environmentally friendly moves that include:

• More than 800,000 acres engaged in its regenerative agriculture programs, which represent more than three-quarters of the way to the company’s 2030 commitment;
• Ninety-five percent of its packaging was recyclable or reusable (by weight);
• Through 2025, General Mills reduced total value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 14 per cent and achieved a 55 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared to its 2020 baseline;
• Achieved a commitment it set in 2016 to ensure all waste from wholly owned manufacturing facilities globally is recycled, reused or recovered for energy.

The food manufacturing giant brought in $19.5 billion (all figures US) in 2025 net sales, that includes eight of its brands that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Its over 30,000 employees work in more than 100 global markets.

General Mills arrived in Canada in 1954 with the launch of Betty Crocker and Cheerios, and its head office is in Mississauga, Ont.