Pillsbury is Divesting from Apartheid Israel

Some good news! We wanted to let you know about another victory that’s part of the global call to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) the Israeli occupation. Pillsbury – well-known for its irresistible pastries and sweets – is selling its stake in its joint venture in #ApartheidIsrael.

For years, General Mills – Pillsbury’s parent company – had manufactured Pillsbury products in the Atarot Industrial Zone, an illegal Israeli settlement on stolen Palestinian land. Built on land that belongs to Beit Hanina in occupied East Jerusalem, the factory had been illegally operating since 2002.

In coalition with a group of local organizers, our Minnesota chapter participated in actions at General Mills headquarters in Minneapolis and also organized a #BoycottPillsbury bake-off! The bake-off challenged participants to make baked goods without using Pillsbury products, posting pictures of them on social media, and using the hashtag #BoycottPillsbury. The campaign was a huge success and served a significant role in the international #BoycottPillsbury campaign. 

Read AMP’s Minnesota chapter Medium blog post from December 2020 titled “Why the Pillsbury doughboy is in trouble.”

In 2020, when General Mills was named in the UN Human Rights Council’s database of companies complicit in illegal settlement activity, the Palestine solidarity movement, activists, and even members of the Pillsbury family mobilized and encouraged consumers to #BoycottPillsbury.

In May of 2021, Charles Pillsbury told AJ+ that he and members of the Pillsbury family are demanding an end to their production of products on settlements. “The exact demand that my family is making of General Mills is that they, as soon as legally possible, stop producing Pillsbury products on occupied territory.”

2 years have passed since the beginning of the campaign, and as a result of your engagement and advocacy efforts, we’re celebrating this success!

Our conscientious and continuous efforts are paying off. We at AMP look forward to sharing more and more great developments like this one. Maintain high spirits and keep up the good work. Together, we are poised to achieve justice and freedom in occupied Palestine.