USA – General Mills has launched the General Mills Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program targeting the youths in a way to address problems and issues related to hunger relief and sustainable agriculture.

The program seeks to solve the challenge of feeding a growing world population by engaging young innovators to offer solutions to address hunger relief and sustainable agriculture.

The young innovators will have an opportunity to present their ideas at the Aspen Ideas Festival, be partnered with industry mentors, and earn up to US$50,000 to further their program and education.

With nearly 12% of the world’s population struggling with hunger, there’s need for combined effort from both the food industry and other stakeholders in the food industry to address this disturbing fact.

“At General Mills, we’re inspired by the ingenuity of today’s youth and know that, while they have immeasurable ability to positively impact the world, they don’t always have the resources to support their potential,” said Jeff Harmening, chairman of the board and CEO, General Mills.

“We’re thrilled to launch Feeding Better Futures to empower young innovators and encourage new perspectives on an on-going global issue where action is imperative.”

General Mills has been active in hunger relief and sustainable agriculture for years, serving as a leader in promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices across its supply chain, as well as providing resources to food insecure communities.

Unless food production is increased and solutions to feed more people in the near future are found, the increasing world population would starve to death.

General Mills has already made a step in securing the starving population, serving as a founding partner of Feeding America, the Global Food Banking Network and Partners in Food Solutions, and enabling more than 201 million meals through food donations globally since 2010.

Other initiatives include partnering with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore and protect pollinator habitat across hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in North America, committing to sustainably source all 10 of the company’s priority ingredients by 2020 and acting as a founding sponsor and advisor to numerous food banking efforts and non-profit organizations.