Canadian Halal Investor.

NYSE Shariah screener · October 2026

Is General Mills, Inc. (GIS) Halal?

FAIL

General Mills, Inc. · NYSE: GIS · Consumer Staples

The short answer

General Mills fails this Shariah screener: its $13.54 billion of interest-bearing debt is 75.4% of its ~$17.95 billion market cap, far above the 33% ceiling. The food business itself has no haram segments, and interest income of about 0.17% of revenue is well under the 5% ceiling, but the debt ratio alone fails the stock.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

Gate 1 — business activity: PASS. General Mills, Inc., founded in 1866 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods. Per its FY2026 Form 10-K (Item 1 - Business), the company operates under four operating segments — North America Retail; International; North America Pet; and North America Foodservice — selling more than 100 brands (including Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Blue Buffalo and Häagen-Dazs) in about 100 countries across six continents.

The 10-K's product categories are snacks, ready-to-eat cereal, convenient meals, wholesome natural pet food, refrigerated and frozen dough, baking mixes and ingredients, and super-premium ice cream. The company is not an interest-based lender, and the filing discloses no alcohol, tobacco, gambling or pork business lines. The business passes gate 1.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: FAIL

Gate 2 — interest-bearing debt: FAIL (75.4%, ceiling 33%). Per General Mills's FY2026 Form 10-K consolidated balance sheet at May 31, 2026, total interest-bearing debt was $13,538.0 million: long-term debt of $12,416.0 million plus the current portion of long-term debt of $1,053.6 million plus notes payable of $68.4 million (the 10-K's own definition of total debt). Operating lease liabilities are not included in these debt lines.

$13,538.0 million of interest-bearing debt against a market capitalization of about $17.95 billion (Finnhub, October 2, 2026) is 75.4% — far above the 33% ceiling, so the stock fails this gate. Cash and cash equivalents of $453.8 million at May 31, 2026 represent about 2.5% of market cap.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Gate 3 — non-compliant income: PASS (0.17%, ceiling 5%). General Mills's FY2026 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income in its interest-expense note: interest expense of $581.1 million, capitalized interest of $(11.5) million and interest income of $(31.0) million (in millions), giving Interest, net of $538.6 million.

FY2026 interest income of $31.0 million against FY2026 net sales of $18,424.6 million is about 0.17% — well under the 5% ceiling, so this gate passes.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does General Mills do?

General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) is a global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods, founded in 1866 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Per its FY2026 Form 10-K, it operates under four operating segments - North America Retail; International; North America Pet; and North America Foodservice - and sells more than 100 brands in about 100 countries across six continents. Its brands include Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Blue Buffalo and Häagen-Dazs, across snacks, ready-to-eat cereal, convenient meals, pet food, refrigerated and frozen dough, baking mixes and super-premium ice cream.

Is General Mills's business Shariah compliant?

General Mills runs a consumer foods business - cereal, snacks, baking mixes, dough, pet food and ice cream - not interest-based lending, and its FY2026 Form 10-K (Item 1) discloses no alcohol, tobacco, gambling or pork business lines; its large global product categories are snacks, ready-to-eat cereal, convenient meals, pet food, dough, baking mixes and ice cream. So the business activity itself passes this screener's first gate. The stock still fails this screener overall because its interest-bearing debt far exceeds the 33% ceiling (gate 2).

How much interest-bearing debt does General Mills have?

General Mills reports total debt of $13,538.0 million at May 31, 2026, per its FY2026 Form 10-K balance sheet: long-term debt of $12,416.0 million plus the current portion of long-term debt of $1,053.6 million plus notes payable of $68.4 million (the 10-K's own definition of total debt). Operating lease liabilities are not included in these debt lines. $13,538.0 million against a market capitalization of about $17.95 billion is 75.4% - far above the 33% ceiling, so this gate fails.

How much interest income does General Mills earn?

General Mills's FY2026 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income in its interest-expense note: interest expense of $581.1 million, capitalized interest of $(11.5) million and interest income of $(31.0) million, giving interest, net of $538.6 million. FY2026 interest income of $31.0 million against FY2026 net sales of $18,424.6 million is about 0.17% - well under the 5% non-compliant income ceiling, so this gate passes.

What do third-party Shariah screeners say about General Mills?

Zoya publishes a General Mills (GIS) page and currently flags the stock as not Shariah-compliant, based on the FY2026 financial reports - consistent with this screener's FAIL result. I could not verify a Musaffa rating page for GIS or a ShariaPortfolio rating from public sources. Third-party screeners apply different assumptions and update on different schedules, and their results can change when new financial statements are published - always check the latest screening before investing.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-02 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).