Boston, June 26, 2025 – Conagra Brands, the parent company of Orville Redenbacher’s, Duncan Hines, Slim Jim and other well-known food brands will assess whether it should replicate the nature and biodiversity protections it employs in forests in non-forest ecosystems such as the Cerrado in Brazil and Gran Chaco in Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina. The company says it will include the results of the assessment in its 2025 citizenship report.
“Food companies are increasingly aware of the need to protect the environment where they source their ingredients. It’s a crucial part of keeping their supply chain stable,” said Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century. “We hope Conagra quickly follows its assessment with a commitment to protect these biodiverse regions.”
Natural environments under continued threat
Agricultural production is the leading driver of ecosystem destruction in regions such as the Cerrado in Brazil and Gran Chaco, which covers parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina. The Cerrado alone, home to 5% of all species on Earth, has lost more than 70 million acres of natural savanna in recent decades. This has led to biodiversity loss and undermined critical aspects of ecosystem reliability, such as rainfall patterns and fresh water availability. Conversion of natural environments to other uses is also a major source of carbon emissions, which elevate the risk of disruptive effects of climate change.
From forest protection to nature protection
Conagra agreed to adopt a no-deforestation policy in response to a shareholder resolution filed by Green Century in 2022. That policy does not, however, cover non-forest natural areas. This new agreement reaffirms the company’s commitment to work toward protections for other critical ecosystems.
“The Cerrado is home to more than 800 species of birds,” said Andrew Shalit, shareholder advocate at Green Century. “It’s fitting that the parent company of Birds Eye will do what it can to protect the birds of the Cerrado, along with all the diversity of life found there.”
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