EXHIBIT 99.1


         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

         AUGUST 31, 2000
                                        Contacts:
                                        --------
                                        (Analysts) Kris Wenker (763-764-2607)
                                        (Media) Austin Sullivan (763-764-7264)

                FTC ISSUES REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN
                        GENERAL MILLS / PILLSBURY MERGER


     MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.---General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) and Diageo plc (NYSE:
DEO; LSE: DGE)  announced  today that the Federal Trade  Commission has issued a
request for additional  information in connection  with its antitrust  review of
General Mills' proposed acquisition of the Pillsbury businesses from Diageo.

     Such a  request  is not  uncommon  in a  transaction  of this  size and was
anticipated.   As  previously  announced,   the  parties  expect  to  close  the
transaction prior to calendar 2000 year end.

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This press release  contains  forward-looking  statements  based on management's
current  expectations  and  assumptions.  Such statements are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events to differ. In particular,
our predictions about the timing of the Pillsbury  acquisition could be affected
by regulatory and stockholder  approvals.  The companies undertake no obligation
to publicly  revise any  forward-looking  statements to reflect future events or
circumstances.

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General  Mills filed a  preliminary  proxy  statement  on Schedule  14A with the
United States Securities and Exchange  Commission (the "SEC") on August 22, 2000
in connection with two proposals relating to General Mills' proposed acquisition
of  Pillsbury  to be  submitted  to General  Mills  stockholders  for  approval.
Stockholders  of General Mills are urged to read the definitive  proxy statement
when it  becomes  available  because  it  will  contain  important  information.
Investors  and  stockholders  may  obtain a free  copy of the  definitive  proxy
statement when it becomes available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. General
Mills and its directors and executive  officers may be deemed to be participants
in the solicitation of proxies to approve the proposals relating to the proposed
transactions. The preliminary proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC
contains  information  on  General  Mills  directors'  and  executive  officers'
ownership of General Mills common stock.
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