The co-founder of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's says that its parent company Unilever blocked it from launching an ice cream flavour that expressed solidarity with Palestine. Ben Cohen announced that he will independently create the new flavour as part of a personal series highlighting causes the company has been barred from addressing publicly.
Ben & Jerry's is known for its activism on social issues and has consistently spoken out on political, environmental and humanitarian matters - including the Israel-Gaza conflict. A spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Company, Unilever's ice cream arm, said it had determined that now is not the right time to invest in developing this product.
Mr Cohen's statement deepens the long-drawn dispute between the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, which has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000. The co-founders claimed that Unilever had unlawfully blocked their company from honouring its social mission.
In his announcement, Cohen stated that he is creating a new watermelon-flavored sorbet, calling for ideas for the product's name and ingredients. The watermelon has become a symbol for solidarity with Palestinians due to its colours, resembling the Palestinian flag. Cohen elaborated, I'm doing what they couldn't. I'm making a watermelon-flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.
The new dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, Cohen's activist ice cream brand. He intends to produce other flavors that reflect issues that Ben & Jerry's has been silenced from publicly addressing. Earlier in September, co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's, citing concerns that the brand's independence was compromised by Unilever's actions regarding its social activism.
Ben & Jerry's is known for its activism on social issues and has consistently spoken out on political, environmental and humanitarian matters - including the Israel-Gaza conflict. A spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Company, Unilever's ice cream arm, said it had determined that now is not the right time to invest in developing this product.
Mr Cohen's statement deepens the long-drawn dispute between the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, which has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000. The co-founders claimed that Unilever had unlawfully blocked their company from honouring its social mission.
In his announcement, Cohen stated that he is creating a new watermelon-flavored sorbet, calling for ideas for the product's name and ingredients. The watermelon has become a symbol for solidarity with Palestinians due to its colours, resembling the Palestinian flag. Cohen elaborated, I'm doing what they couldn't. I'm making a watermelon-flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.
The new dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, Cohen's activist ice cream brand. He intends to produce other flavors that reflect issues that Ben & Jerry's has been silenced from publicly addressing. Earlier in September, co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's, citing concerns that the brand's independence was compromised by Unilever's actions regarding its social activism.
