Company Overview

One of the largest food companies in the world, General Mills is the nation’s second-largest cereal maker after Kellogg. The company is a global food powerhouse, with more than 100 consumer brands in the United States, operations in more than 30 countries around the world, and exports to 130-plus countries. General Mills has organized itself into nine major business units: Big G Cereals, Meals, Snacks, Yoplait-Colombo, Pillsbury, Small Planet Foods, Bakeries and Food Service, and International.

The company’s brands include not only those that festoon the commercial space of Saturday morning cartoons (Wheaties, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Kix, Fruit Roll-Ups), but also Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Muir Glen, Cascadian Farms, and Häagan-Dazs.
Most of General Mills’ brands can be found in supermarkets, but the company has more recently entered the natural foods market by acquiring its Small Planet subsidiary, which produces brands Muir Glen and Cascadian Farms. In 2007, General Mills pulled its reduced-sugar children’s cereals because of poor performance. It also announced the removal of the flavor chemical dicetyl, which was suspected of causing lung problems for plant workers, from its Pop-Secret microwave popcorn products.