The largest privately owned company in the U.S., Cargill dominates the American palm oil market. It owns five palm oil plantations in Indonesia and PNG and is the largest importer of palm oil into the U.S., sourcing from at least 26 producers, including notorious Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas, and buying roughly 11 percent of Indonesia’s total oil palm output. A large and growing number of investigations have shown that Cargill’s palm oil is directly destroying forests, eliminating biodiversity and harming forest peoples.
Cargill's palm oil is in many food products found in our convenience stores, supermarkets, and homes. At least one hundred General Mills products, including such trusted brands as Toaster Strudel, Betty Crocker, Stovetop Hamburger Helper and Bisquick contain palm oil and its derivatives, violating General Mills’ integrity as a food manufacturer and the company’s own commitment to making a positive difference in our community and to our environment. Through their many well-known brands General Mills is serving meal-size portions of rainforest destruction to millions of U.S. consumers everyday.
By purchasing irresponsibly sourced palm oil, General Mills is violating their own stated corporate social responsibility policy to "be one of the most environmentally sustainable food companies in the world."Until they stop purchasing Cargill’s palm oil, General Mills will continue to support the destruction of the world’s last great tropical forests and forest communities.
RAN’s demands to Cargill and General Mills
Cargill:
- Publicly commit to stopping any further conversion of rainforests and/or peatlands for palm oil plantations.
- Engage suppliers, hold them accountable to the highest industry standards and phase out contracts with suppliers who engage in forest destruction, such as Sinar Mas.
- Adopt and implement RAN’s proposed palm oil policy, which includes reducing GHG emissions from oil palm plantations; respecting the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous People and other forest dependent communities; providing 100 percent identity preserved and fully-traceable/segregated palm oil to its customers by 2011, and providing and trading only certified sustainable palm oil by 2015.
General Mills:
- Take strong action to ensure its palm oil supply does not contain rainforest destruction.
- Cancel its palm oil contracts with Cargill until/unless Cargill adopts RAN’s proposed palm oil policy.
