Jerry Greenfield accused Unilever of restricting his activism, saying the parent company was stifling the social justice legacy of Ben & Jerry’s.
By World Israel News Staff
One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream officially resigned on Wednesday, writing that he had been silenced by the brand’s parent company, Unilever, and could no longer be affiliated with the dessert brand because his political activism was being restricted.
Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded the company in 1978 alongside Ben Cohen, has long leveraged his ice cream brand as a platform for left-wing, progressive activism.
In an open letter shared on social media platform X, Greenfield announced that he was leaving the company, alleging that Unilever was limiting his ability to speak freely on political issues.
“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” Greenfield wrote. “And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
He added, “With a broken heart, I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s.”
Although Greenfield did not directly mention the war in Gaza, the ice cream brand has long been critical of Israel’s war against Hamas, recently labeling the military campaign a “genocide.”
Tensions between the founders and Unilever peaked in 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would no longer sell its products in what it called the “occupied Palestinian territories.”
Unilever, which purchased Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million in 2000, had reportedly pledged that the company could continue making political statements as part of the acquisition deal.
But the Judea and Samaria boycott announcement sparked backlash, including several U.S. states divesting their pension funds from Unilever-affiliated businesses, sending its stock value tumbling.
The controversy also led to a bitter clash between Ben & Jerry’s independent Board of Directors and Unilever, which tried to distance itself from the company’s activism while managing the financial fallout.
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