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REDEEMABLE AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS
12 Months Ended
May 29, 2016
REDEEMABLE AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS [Abstract]  
REDEEMABLE AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS

NOTE 9. REDEEMABLE AND NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS

Our principal redeemable and noncontrolling interests relate to our Yoplait SAS, Yoplait Marques SNC, Liberté Marques Sàrl, and General Mills Cereals, LLC (GMC) subsidiaries. In addition, we have six foreign subsidiaries that have noncontrolling interests totaling $7.0 million as of May 29, 2016.

We have a 51 percent controlling interest in Yoplait SAS and a 50 percent interest in Yoplait Marques SNC and Liberté Marques Sàrl. Sodiaal holds the remaining interests in each of the entities. On the acquisition date, we recorded the $904.4 million fair value of Sodiaal’s 49 percent euro-denominated interest in Yoplait SAS as a redeemable interest on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Sodiaal has the ability to put all or a portion of its redeemable interest to us at fair value once per year, up to three times before December 2024. We adjust the value of the redeemable interest through additional paid-in capital on our Consolidated Balance Sheets quarterly to the redeemable interest’s redemption value, which approximates its fair value. Yoplait SAS pays dividends annually if it meets certain financial metrics set forth in its shareholders agreement. As of May 29, 2016, the redemption value of the euro-denominated redeemable interest was $845.6 million.

On the acquisition dates, we recorded the $281.4 million fair value of Sodiaal’s 50 percent euro-denominated interest in Yoplait Marques SNC and 50 percent Canadian dollar-denominated interest in Liberté Marques Sàrl as noncontrolling interests on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Yoplait Marques SNC earns a royalty stream through a licensing agreement with Yoplait SAS for the rights to Yoplait and related trademarks. Liberté Marques Sàrl earns a royalty stream through licensing agreements with certain Yoplait group companies for the rights to Liberté and related trademarks. These entities pay dividends annually based on their available cash as of their fiscal year end.

During fiscal 2016, we paid $74.5 million of dividends to Sodiaal under the terms of the Yoplait SAS and Yoplait Marques SNC shareholder agreements.

A subsidiary of Yoplait SAS has entered into an exclusive milk supply agreement for its European operations with Sodiaal at market-determined prices through July 1, 2021. Net purchases totaled $321.0 million for fiscal 2016 and $271.3 million for fiscal 2015.

The holder of the GMC Class A Interests receives quarterly preferred distributions from available net income based on the application of a floating preferred return rate to the holder’s capital account balance established in the most recent mark-to-market valuation (currently $251.5 million). On June 1, 2015, the floating preferred return rate on GMC’s Class A interests was reset to the sum of three-month LIBOR plus 125 basis points. The preferred return rate is adjusted every three years through a negotiated agreement with the Class A Interest holder or through a remarketing auction.

For financial reporting purposes, the assets, liabilities, results of operations, and cash flows of our non-wholly owned subsidiaries are included in our Consolidated Financial Statements. The third-party investor’s share of the net earnings of these subsidiaries is reflected in net earnings attributable to redeemable and noncontrolling interests in our Consolidated Statements of Earnings.

Our noncontrolling interests contain restrictive covenants. As of May 29, 2016, we were in compliance with all of these covenants.