HOMEGeneral Mills and the agricultural cooperative Euralis have signed a strategic partnership to promote regenerative agriculture. This initiative involves Green Giant™ sweet corn crops, cultivated in the Southwest by 250 producers from the Euralis cooperative. The farms are located less than 200km from the Green Giant sweet corn cannery established in the Landes region since 1976.
A partnership to accelerate the adoption of agroecological practices
The partnership is part of the environmental initiative (Opti’Ag) launched by Euralis and currently being rolled out to producers. Its objective is to promote the adoption of agroecological practices that improve soil fertility, preserve water resources, and strengthen the resilience of Green Giant sweet corn farms. General Mills supports this initiative by providing financial assistance to the farms involved. Specifically, the company is co-financing the installation of cover crops between two corn crops to promote soil protection.
Additionally, agronomist technicians from the Green Giant™ production site will undergo an 18- month training program in partnership with Icosystème to ensure their work aligns with Euralis’s farm advisory teams. This on-the-ground support will use a personalised approach, adapted to specific soil conditions and local water management challenges. The mutual goal is to transition 100% of the Green Giant sweet corn crops involved in the Euralis initiative to regenerative agriculture practices by the end of 2027.
A partnership rooted in General Mills’ global regenerative agriculture strategy
This program is part of General Mills’ global responsibility strategy, which aims to advance regenerative agriculture across 400,000 hectares worldwide by 2030.
The group views regenerative agriculture as a holistic, principles-based approach to farming and agriculture that seeks to strengthen ecosystems and community resilience and to foster conditions for more life on the farm and beyond. It is based on key principles such as minimising disturbance, maximising diversity, and maintaining soil cover. Several pilot projects are already ongoing through key supply chains, including with partner dairy farms for the Häagen-Dazs™ brand in the Hauts-de-France region.
“Our approach is based on three pillars,” explains Benjamin Duché, EU Regenerative Agriculture Lead at General Mills. “We put the producer at the center of the process with personalised action plans and on-farm support. We rely on the expertise of local organizations that have a deep understanding of the local context. Finally, we measure progress using monitoring indicators to ensure the effectiveness of our programs.” “As a leader in regenerative agriculture practices in its territories, Euralis is committed to deploying Opti’Ag across all its contract crops,” explains Cédric Brana, Head of the Fruit and Vegetable Producers’ Organization at Euralis. “This initiative naturally includes the 250 Green Giant sweet corn producers. The advisory services provided by our agronomists are based on three pillars: soil diagnostics, the use of cover crops, and water management. Opti’Ag meets the CSR expectations of our partner Green Giant and reflects our own CSR strategy.”
To learn more, please visit General Mills’ regenerative agriculture website: https://regenerativeagriculture generalmills.com/
Contact Presse General Mills :
Agence EDELMAN – Marie JOUAULT
31, rue de Miromesnil – 75008 PARIS
06 11 15 96 13
marie.jouault@edelman.com
Contact Presse Euralis
Nathalie SALMON
06.48.08.52.88.
nathalie.salmon@euralis.com
About General Mills :
A major player in the food industry for 160 years, General Mills is an American company based in Minneapolis with a portfolio of more than 100 brands
worldwide. General Mills generated fiscal 2025 net sales of U.S. $19 billion and employs 35,000 people. In France, its beloved brands include Häagen-Dazs, Old
El Paso, Green Giant, and Nature Valley, and has two production sites in the country (Häagen-Dazs in the north and Green Giant in the southwest)
About Euralis :
Euralis is an agricultural cooperative group that supports professionals in agriculture and food industries. It comprises several bus iness divisions: Agriculture –
supporting some 8,000 farmers with advisory services – Seeds (Lidea), and Duck & Deli. Rooted in Southwestern France, it also has an international presence in
16 countries. In 2024, it achieved a turnover of €1.57 billion. It has approximately 4,500 member farmers and 4,900 employees.