Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, discusses Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield’s departure from the company and whether companies should have agendas on “The Bottom Line.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen said Tuesday that parent company Unilever prevented the ice cream maker from creating a “flavor for Palestine.”
Cohen and the Vermont ice cream maker are known for their social activism, often supporting Palestinians and criticizing Israel.
“Unilever/Magnum stopped Ben & Jerry’s from creating a flavor for Palestine, so I’m doing it myself,” Cohen wrote on X, referring to Magnum Ice Cream, Unilever’s ice cream division.
“I have a watermelon, an empty pint, and I need your help: name the flavor or suggest ingredients. Or design the packaging of the pint,” he continued.
THE CO-FOUNDER OF BEN & JERRY LEAVES THE COMPANY AFTER 47 YEARS AND CLAIMS HE HAS BEEN ‘SILENCED’ BY UNILEVER
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen claimed that parent company Unilever “stuck” the ice cream maker to create an ice cream “flavor for Palestine.” (Lisa Lake for MoveOn/Getty Images)
Watermelons have become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity because their red, green, black and white colors match the Palestinian flag.
“Here I am making something that is actually very important. The extent of the suffering of the Palestinian people over the past two years is unimaginable. So the ceasefire is a welcome relief, but there is much more work to do to rebuild. Palestinians are still living under occupation and still recovering from years of suffering, especially Palestinian children,” Cohen said in a video on X.
“They deserve dignity, safety and the same rights that every human being should have,” he continued. “A while ago, Ben & Jerry’s tried to make a flavor to call for peace in Palestine, to stand up for justice and dignity for all, as Ben & Jerry’s has always done. But they weren’t allowed to, they were stopped by Unilever/Magnum, the company that owns Ben and Jerry’s. Just like when Ben & Jerry’s tried to stop selling ice cream in the occupied territories, they were blocked again by their parent company. So I’m doing what they couldn’t.”
Cohen said he is now making a watermelon-flavored ice cream that “calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing all the damage done there.”
Watermelons are often used as a symbol of support for Palestinians because their colors match the colors of the Palestinian flag. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“I do this to shine a light on the experiences of the Palestinian people, and children in particular, so that the world does not look the other way,” he said.
Fox Business has approached Unilever for comment.
In May, Cohen was removed from a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for protesting the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“Congress is paying for bombs,” Cohen shouted at the time.
“I told Congress that they are killing poor children in Gaza by buying bombs, and they are paying for it by kicking poor children off Medicaid in the US,” Cohen added to X at the time.
BEN & JERRY’S LOBSTER FOUL AS PARENT COMPANY CEO FIRES FOR POLITICAL ACTIVISM
Ben Cohen and the Vermont Ice Cream Machine are known for their social activism. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield recently announced that he is leaving the company after 47 years. He said Unilever has silenced the ice cream maker on social issues.
Cohen said after Greenfield’s announcement that “his legacy deserves to be true to our values, and not silenced.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS
Earlier this year, Ben & Jerry’s also alleged that Unilever unlawfully fired CEO David Stever for his social activism, violating the merger agreement.
