Mike Valenti Wins General Mills Competition at Net Impact Conference

2015 Feb 2

At the 2014 Net Impact Conference Mike Valenti, a senior business administration major at Ithaca College, won the General Mills “Food Should Taste Good and Do Good Ideation Challenge.”

Hosted by Net Impact -- a global nonprofit that aims to inspire a new generation to create positive social and environmental impact in the workplace and the world -- the conference serves as a forum for students and professionals to discuss trends at the forefront of the impact sector.

Valenti, partnered with Reed Kiely ’15, competed against five other teams. During the challenge they were tasked with creating a strategy for the “do good” pillar of General Mills’ newly acquired brand “Food Should Taste Good” and were required to outline a way for General Mills to give back to the community.

Valenti and Kiely's winning proposal suggested that General Mills create community food gardens and education programs located in food deserts where community members do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and often do not know how to prepare a nutritious homemade meal.

"I hope that implementing food gardens near schools will provide education to children who are open to change and building healthier habits," said Valenti.

General Mills has plans to implement their strategy in the spring of 2015.

For more information on the 2014 Net Impact Conference, visit www.netimpact.org/conference/about-the-2014-net-impact-conference.