Ice Cream Pioneer Jerry Greenpeace Departs Ben & Jerry's After Four Decades
In a surprising turn of events, Ben & Jerry's, the iconic ice cream brand known for its colorful containers and flavors like Cherry Garcia and Phish Food, has taken legal action against its parent company Unilever. The lawsuit, filed in November 2023 in a federal court in New York, accuses Unilever of silencing Ben & Jerry's statements in support of Palestinians during the Gaza war. This is a continuation of the ongoing dispute between the two entities, a dispute that has its roots in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced it would stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, claims that the ice cream maker's independence to speak on social issues has been stifled by Unilever. Greenfield states that Ben & Jerry's stood up for peace, justice, and human rights for more than 20 years under Unilever's ownership. However, he believes that this independence was lost under the current corporate structure. The acrimony between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever continued even after the March 2024 announcement by Unilever that it would spin off its ice cream business, including Ben & Jerry's, by the end of 2025. The company planning to separate Ben & Jerry's from its current parent company Unilever and make it independent is Unilever itself, as part of restructuring its ice cream division and preparing it for a stock market launch under the name Magnum Ice Cream Company in November 2025. Magnum, the new company, disagrees with Greenfield's viewpoint and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry's values-based position. Greenfield and Cohen have been pushing for Ben & Jerry's to be allowed to become an independently owned company again. In its complaint, Ben & Jerry's also alleged that Unilever refused to let the company release a social media post that identified issues it believed would be challenged during President Donald Trump's second term, including minimum wages, universal health care, abortion, and climate change. Unilever, apart from owning the ice cream business, also owns personal hygiene brands like Dove soap and food brands like Hellmann's mayonnaise. The spinoff of the ice cream business is part of a larger restructuring by Unilever. It remains to be seen how this legal battle between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever will unfold. One thing is certain, though: Ben & Jerry's has always been more than just ice cream; it has been a voice for peace, justice, and human rights, and its co-founders are determined to keep it that way.
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