The Supply Side: General Mills sustainability lead, Nestle divestiture

• General Mills focuses on sustainable sourcing
General Mills is stepping out front among Wal-Mart suppliers with somewhat aggressive sustainability goals.

The food company is focused on increasing the sustainability of 10 priority agricultural raw materials that represent more than 50% of the Minneapolis-based company’s annual purchases.

In its “2013 Global Responsibility Report” issued April 30, General Mills said it is following a four-step sourcing model to improve the sustainability of the raw materials it uses to make its products.

The company is in the “strategy formation” stage for 6 of the raw materials — corn, dairy, oats, sugar (sugar beets and sugarcane), fiber packaging and cocoa — and the “transformation” stage for 4 of the raw materials — vanilla, eggs, wheat and palm oil.

All 10 of the raw materials have moved through the “assessment” stage, and all 10 are on track for the “monitoring and evaluation” stage.

Wal-Mart has said it will begin rating its suppliers on the sustainability of their supply chains in an effort to step up it’s own global responsibility commitment.

• Nestle divests Bit-O-Honey brand
Pearson Candy Co. recently  acquired the Bit-O-Honey confectionery brand from Nestle USA. It is the fifth brand Pearson’s parent company Brynwood Partners has acquired from Nestle in recent years.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Nestle has owned Bit-O-Honey since 1994. Pearson Candy is headquartered in St. Paul and has been owned by Brynwood Partners since August 2011.

The company’s products include salted nut rolls and mint patties as well as Pearson’s Nut Goodies and Pearson’s Bun. Both Nestle and Brynwood Partners are suppliers to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.