General Mills Commits to Sustainable Palm Oil!

General Mills is joining the growing list of big corporations making the switch to sustainable palm oil! Palm oil is the most common oil used in consumer goods across the globe. Infamous for its relationship to deforestation and the shrinking orangutan population, palm oil has been blacklisted by environmental groups, animal groups, and concerned consumers alike. Luckily, the consumer push-back seems to be making an impact on the corporate practices of some of the world’s largest palm oil purchasers.

General Mills has made the commitment to source 100 percent sustainable palm oil in its products by 2015. In addition to a commitment adhering to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s guidelines, General Mills has vowed to only source palm oil from operators that agree to outline their principles, including the following: No developing on high Conservation value landscapes; Compliance to General Mills Supplier code of conduct that ensures fair labor conditions; Traceability to extraction mills and validation of fresh fruit bunches.

While these added measures illustrate a clear intention to follow through with their sustainable palm commitment, we have seen other corporations backslide on their work with palm oil.

Since General Mills seems to be looking for extra ways to prove their commitment to sustainability, what issues do you think this food giant could improve on? We all know General Mills uses GMOs, along with other questionable ingredients in their products, so should they really be making commitments to improve their products beyond sustainable palm oil?

You tell us! If consumer reaction helped inspire the sustainable palm oil push, it can certainly influence other positive changes!

Image Source: Christian Cable/Flickr