Home US Unilever to unload super woke Ben & Jerry’s after years of fighting with independent board over Israel and Native American rows

Unilever to unload super woke Ben & Jerry’s after years of fighting with independent board over Israel and Native American rows

by Jack
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The parent company of Ben & Jerry's will spin it and its other ice cream brands into a standalone business after more than 100 years in the ice cream business.

Unilever, a mega-consumer company, is considering spinning off Ben & Jerry’s, a move that comes as the conglomerate spins off its historic ice cream division after more than 100 years.

Ben & Jerry’s, despite being an incredibly popular brand around the world, has created political problems for Unilever in recent years, as the brand’s independent board of directors embraces progressive positions that alienate certain sects of its consumer base.

In 2022, Unilever and the brand engaged in a legal battle after the company sold its Ben & Jerry’s operations in Israel, a move that came after the independent U.S. board publicly stated it would halt sales of its products in Israeli settlements in the West. Bank.

In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel and the war that followed, Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board Chair Anuradha Mittal denounced the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

Mittal, who also heads the progressive think tank Oakland Institute, has shared a number of pro-Palestinian messages since the Hamas attack.

The parent company of Ben & Jerry's will spin it and its other ice cream brands into a standalone business after more than 100 years in the ice cream business.

The parent company of Ben & Jerry’s will spin it and its other ice cream brands into a standalone business after more than 100 years in the ice cream business.

Several years ago, the brand attacked Unilever by announcing that it would no longer sell ice cream in Israeli settlements. Unilever responded by selling the brand's Israeli operations to avoid further conflicts

Several years ago, the brand clashed with Unilever when it announced that it would no longer sell ice cream in Israeli settlements. Unilever responded by selling the brand's Israeli operations to avoid further conflicts

Several years ago, the brand attacked Unilever by announcing that it would no longer sell ice cream in Israeli settlements. Unilever responded by selling the brand’s Israeli operations to avoid further conflicts

Ben & Jerry's Independent Board Chair Anuradha Mittal denounces Israeli campaign in Gaza

Ben & Jerry's Independent Board Chair Anuradha Mittal denounces Israeli campaign in Gaza

Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board Chair Anuradha Mittal denounces Israeli campaign in Gaza

In response to Mittal’s position, the Simon Wisenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization focused specifically on Holocaust research and education, encouraged people not to buy Ben & Jerry’s .

Activist investor Nelson Peltz sat on the boards of Unilever and the Wisenthal Center at the time, which sowed discord between the brand and the company.

Peltz, who joined Unilever’s board after controversy over the brand’s presence in Israeli settlements, previously told the former Unilever CEO that “no company has the right to do these kinds of political statements.”

Besides Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever also owns the ice cream brands Magnum, Wall’s, Breyers, Talenti, Popsicle and Klondike, which will also be spun off into a standalone ice cream company.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Unilever probably chose to sell the company because no buyer offering an acceptable price was found.

The shakeup is part of a restructuring program intended to save the company about $870 million over the next three years.

Unilever says the proposed changes are expected to impact around 7,500 roles worldwide – the company employs around 128,000 people.

Frozen food companies are sometimes a difficult sell due to their expensive and complex logistics network built around keeping food cold.

Currently, Unilever’s ice cream brands are also responsible for around 10 percent of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions – a figure that virtually every global company is under pressure to reduce.

Last year, the company celebrated American Independence Day by declaring that the United States was founded on land stolen from indigenous tribes that it would like to see returned.

Last year, the company celebrated American Independence Day by declaring that the United States was founded on land stolen from indigenous tribes that it would like to see returned.

Last year, the company celebrated American Independence Day by declaring that the United States was founded on land stolen from indigenous tribes that it would like to see returned.

Ice cream factory and headquarters of Ben and Jerry's – the brand sold to Unilever in 2000

Ice cream factory and headquarters of Ben and Jerry's – the brand sold to Unilever in 2000

Ice cream factory and headquarters of Ben and Jerry’s – the brand sold to Unilever in 2000

A Ben & Jerry's ice cream delivery truck is seen at their factory in Be'er Tuvia, Israel on July 20, 2021 - shortly before Unilever sold the company's Israeli operations

A Ben & Jerry's ice cream delivery truck is seen at their factory in Be'er Tuvia, Israel on July 20, 2021 - shortly before Unilever sold the company's Israeli operations

A Ben & Jerry’s ice cream delivery truck is seen at their factory in Be’er Tuvia, Israel on July 20, 2021 – shortly before Unilever sold the company’s Israeli operations

Last year on July 4, Ben & Jerry’s celebrated American Independence Day by declaring that the country should “return” its land to the indigenous tribes from whom it was originally stolen.

“This July 4, it is high time that we recognize that the United States exists on stolen indigenous lands and commit to returning them,” the company’s official account writes before suggesting that Mount Rushmore should be returned to its original owners.

The post immediately sparked outrage on social media, with many disgusted customers using the hashtag #boycottbenandjerrys to label the post as anti-American sentiment on a day meant to celebrate the United States.

The tweet then linked to an article on the company’s website explaining why America should “start at Mount Rushmore” and how they hope to support a movement that would dismantle “white supremacy and systems of oppression.”

“Ah, the 4th of July. Who doesn’t love a good parade, a delicious barbecue and an emotional fireworks display? The only problem with all of this, however, is that it can distract from an essential truth about the birth of this nation: the United States was founded on stolen indigenous lands,” they wrote.

The ice giant then announced its support for Back-to-the-land movementwhich, according to him, “aims to restore the rights and freedoms of indigenous peoples”.

Ben & Jerry's has, throughout its history, supported far-left causes and associated itself with various social justice movements.

Ben & Jerry's has, throughout its history, supported far-left causes and associated itself with various social justice movements.

Ben & Jerry’s has, throughout its history, supported far-left causes and associated itself with various social justice movements.

“It’s about dismantling white supremacy and systems of oppression and ensuring that Indigenous people can once again govern the lands that their communities have called home for thousands of years.”

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenwood were longtime supporters of democratic socialist Sen. Sanders — who represents their home state of Vermont in the Senate — and created multiple flavors to support his campaign after selling the company in 2000.

Ben and Jerry’s has continued to promote its woke agenda under CEO Dave Stever and current owners Unilever, partnering with Stephen Colbert, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe and “Squad” congresswoman Cori Bush.

In September 2021, they launched an initiative for Rep. Bush’s $10 billion bill that would replace police officers with social workers and other first responders to mental health and substance abuse incidents.

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