The co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s have accused parent company Unilever of violating the ice cream company’s rights to control its social mission.
The indictment of ice cream tycoons Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield comes amid a lawsuit against Unilever filed by Ben & Jerry’s after Unilever sold the popular ice cream maker’s Israel branch to a local licensee in June when the company decided to sell its frozen products Treats not for sale in the West Bank.
“Unilever usurped their authority and reversed a decision they had made. And we can’t let that happen,” Cohen told MSNBC Sunday, his first comment on the issue since the lawsuit was filed.
Cohen founded the Greenfield ice cream company in Vermont in 1978 with a mission to “promote human rights and human dignity,” and said that selling ice cream in the West Bank was “inconsistent with our values.” The two are no longer on the board of Ben & Jerry’s.
Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit, filed in July, alleges that the sale violated the terms of Unilever’s 2000 acquisition agreement, when the British consumer goods giant bought the ice cream company for $326 million.
The agreement authorized the Vermont ice cream company to maintain an independent board of directors to oversee corporate social responsibility.
Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit, filed in July, alleges that the sale breached the terms of Unilever’s 2000 acquisition agreement, when the British consumer goods giant bought the ice cream company for $326 million.Portal
Ben & Jerry’s tried to block Israeli sales before it happened.Portal
“In order for us to be able to sell the company, it was important that we have this unique agreement
place,” Greenfield told MSNBC. “The agreement is permanent. And that’s the way it has to be
respected. [They are] essentially saying, ‘Well, the independent board doesn’t matter.’”
Responding to comments that the company’s intention to halt sales in the West Bank was anti-Semitic, Cohen, who said he was Jewish, responded: “If I care about the people of Palestine as much as I care about the people of Israel, is that anti-Semitic? There are mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers in Palestine who are important to me. Your human rights are important to me.”
Ben & Jerry’s tried to block the Israeli sale before it did so, but a New York federal judge threw out the company’s injunction in August. Now the court says it has until September 27 to file an amended lawsuit.
Unilever did not respond to a request for comment.