Ahold Delhaize and General Mills join forces to scale regenerative agriculture

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.

The partnership uses expertise from Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), a nonprofit group that aims to reward sustainable agricultural practices by connecting farmers with organisations seeking to invest in environmental improvements.

Farmers will get 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.

“This relationship emphasises how strategic collaboration is essential for addressing climate impacts and creating positive environmental outcomes,” said Marc Stolzman, chief sustainability officer at Ahold Delhaize USA.

“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 is aiming to help advance regenerative agriculture on over 70,000 acres of farmland in Kansas and Saskatchewan in Canada.

The scale of this effort represents the rough number of acres General Mills engages to source key ingredients, like wheat and oats, for its products sold at grocery stores operated by Ahold Delhaize USA’s brands — Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop.

“In 2019, General Mills became one of the first companies to commit to helping advance regenerative agriculture,” said Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and global impact officer, General Mills.

“We champion a farmer-centered 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 programme and oversee impact measurement. Greenhouse gas reductions and soil carbon sequestration will be verified by an independent third-party verification organisation, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Recognising the importance of collaboration across the value chain​

The 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.

“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,” said Debbie Reed, ESMC Executive Director.

“These verified improvements in agricultural production systems increase on-farm resilience for producers and build resilience throughout the supply chain.”

“This programme highlights the importance of prioritizing industry collaboration to scale sustainability initiatives by maximizing efforts and extending shared impact across the value chain. This is Ahold Delhaize USA’s second farmland-focused Scope 3 pilot this year, and its first collaboration taking a supply shed approach.

“In 2019, General Mills became one of the first companies to commit to helping advance regenerative agriculture. We champion a farmer-centered 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.”