Through co-investments in priority supply sheds — or geographic growing regions where key ingredients are sourced — the two companies will support farmers as they adopt regenerative farming practices. Utilising expertise from Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), a nonprofit member-based consortium, farmers will receive technical and financial support to implement techniques like cover cropping and nutrient management, and a combination of field sampling and modelling will estimate net greenhouse gas emissions.
Marc Stolzman, chief sustainability officer, Ahold Delhaize USA, said, “This relationship emphasizes how strategic collaboration is essential for addressing climate impacts and creating positive environmental outcomes. Ahold Delhaize USA looks forward to the learnings from this supply shed collaboration and using the findings to drive progress across the supply chain.”
By the end of 2025, ESMC along with local implementing partners will help advance regenerative agriculture management on over 70,000 acres of farmland in Kansas and Saskatchewan in Canada. The scale of this effort represents the approximate number of acres General Mills engages to source key ingredients, like wheat and oats, for its products sold at grocery stores operated by its brands — Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop.
Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and global impact officer, General Mills, said, “In 2019, General Mills became one of the first companies to commit to helping advance regenerative agriculture. We champion a farmer-centred approach across key regions where the ingredients we source are grown, aiming to produce positive environmental, social and economic outcomes. Ahold Delhaize USA is a natural fit for collaboration with shared goals of creating a more healthy and resilient food system.”
ESMC will facilitate the program and oversee impact measurement. Greenhouse gas reductions and soil carbon sequestration will be verified by an independent third-party verification organization, ensuring transparency and accountability. This collaboration is a continuation of General Mills and ESMC’s multi-year partnership, which began in 2020, rewarding farmers for beneficial environmental outcomes from regenerative agriculture.
Debbie Reed, ESMC executive director, said, “ESMC’s ongoing partnerships with General Mills and Ahold Delhaize USA continue to leverage our collective investments and generate shared outcomes. By creating opportunities for co-investing in regenerative agricultural solutions, producers win, corporations win, and consumers win. These verified improvements in agricultural production systems increase on-farm resilience for producers and build resilience throughout the supply chain.”
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