Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder Alleges Unilever Halted Palestine-Themed Ice Cream Product
The co-founders of the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has claimed how parent company the multinational conglomerate prevented the launch of an innovative pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.
Ben Cohen, who co-founded the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, revealed that he plans to personally create the controversial product as part of an individual series showcasing issues Ben & Jerry's has been barred from speaking out about.
Longstanding Conflict Involving Founders and Parent Company
The recent announcement escalates the ongoing conflict among the world-famous dessert company with Unilever, the British consumer goods giant which has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.
Both founders maintain that Unilever along with their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented their company from "maintaining its activist principles".
The Fruit Sorbet as a Symbol of Solidarity
Mr. Cohen revealed via an Instagram video that he is creating an innovative watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding naming options and potential ingredients.
“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen stated in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”
The watermelon has become a symbol for support for Palestinians because of its coloration, which closely resemble those of Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.
Previous Social Engagement and Current Developments
Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of its products in areas occupied by Israel, leading to Unilever selling their Israel business to a local licensee, thereby permitting ongoing distribution within disputed territories.
The new dessert series will be created through Ben's Best, the socially conscious ice cream brand that originally established several years back for endorsing ex- political contender Bernie Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".
Leadership Changes plus Future Plans
Mr. Cohen indicated that he plans to create additional frozen dessert varieties focusing on concerns that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly by corporate restrictions.
This development comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry's in September, following many years with the organization, mentioning worries regarding how the company's autonomy had been compromised after corporate moves to restrict its social activism.
At that time, Ben Cohen remarked how "Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."
"My heart compels me to continue to work inside the company to fight for its independence so that it can fulfill the social mission, the values that it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he told media outlets.
- Corporate owner limitations on political advocacy
- Personal flavor creation by company founders
- The fruit-based product as social statement
- Ongoing disagreements among parent company versus ethical values