General Mills targets youths to find solution to hunger relief
The grand prizewinner will receive $50,000 and an opportunity for mentorship with industry leaders, while four runners-up will receive $10,000 each, as well as mentorship.
The five innovators will also be able to present their solutions at the Aspen Ideas Festival, to be held in Aspen, Colorado, US from June 21-30, 2018.
Too much hunger
According to General Mills, hunger today cripples more than 13 million kids and teenagers in America alone. Globally, nearly 12% of the world’s population do not know where their next meal will come from. The crises has no signs of abating and will in fact reach intolerable heights when the global population hits the nine billion mark by 2050.
“At General Mills, we’re inspired by the ingenuity of today’s youth and know that they have immeasurable ability to positively impact the world,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of General Mills, noting, however, they often do not have the resources to generate their ideas.
Get involved
Scholars between the ages of 13 and 21 are invited to submit a short video to explain the solution or program they believe addresses issues in hunger relief and/or sustainable agriculture.
A panel of experts will review the video submissions and select five finalists. From these five finalists, General Mills will engage the public in selecting the grand prizewinner.
Deadline for submissions is March 5.
General Mills has long been an ambassador in the fight against hunger and promoting sustainable architecture.
- The General Mills Foundation has collaborated with Feed My Starving Children and Partners in Food Solutions, which has provided more than 900 small food businesses in eight African countries with technical training and support.
- The company’s partnership with the Global Foodbanking Network has enabled 230 million meals worldwide since 2010.
- General Mill’s Foundation has also partnered with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore and protect pollinator habitat across US farmland.
- The company has committed to sustainably source all 10 of its priority ingredients by 2020 (it is already 69% of the way there).
- General Mills has teamed up with DoSomething.org – a non-profit organization for young people committed to social change – to kick off the Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program.
