tKellogg Co. and Walmart announced a partnership to improve rice crop sustainability and support initiatives to help producers in every country in which the Battle Creek-based company sources rice.
t“As a grains-based company, we have a commitment both to the environment and to the people who grow those crops,” says John Bryant, Kellogg’s president and CEO. He adds that rice, used in Rice Krispies and Special K, is one of Kellogg’s largest ingredient purchases.
tBryant says the companies will work with rice growers to increase the implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture practices — which enhance producer resilience as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are attributed to current growing practices — by 25 percent by 2020.
tThe partnership will also promote and support initiatives with producers in every country in which Kellogg sources rice. Kellogg is already involved in collaborative initiatives with growers, suppliers, and external partners, including the International Rice Research Institute, United Nations Environment Program, and the Sustainable Rice Platform to support sustainable rice growing practices globally.
t“Our company has deep roots in sustainability and corporate responsibility,” Bryant says. “We know that by furthering our commitments with rice sustainability, we have an opportunity to play a significant role in benefitting the planet.”
tKellogg plans to align the initiative with the Global Alliance on Climate Smart Agriculture, which will launch later this year at the United Nations Secretary General's Climate Summit in New York.
