General Mills

General Mills is a major US packaged-food company whose brands include Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso and the Blue Buffalo pet-food line. It sells largely staple products through grocery and retail channels, which lends stability but also exposes it to slow volume growth, private-label competition and shifting consumer tastes. General Mills has an exceptionally long record of uninterrupted dividends spanning many decades and offers one of the higher yields among large food makers. Growth in the payout has been steady if unspectacular, and coverage is adequate rather than generous given the debt taken on for acquisitions. It suits income investors who value a reliable, comparatively high yield over rapid dividend growth, with the caveat of a low-growth end market.