Ben & Jerry’s sues own parent company over West Bank ice cream sales ban

Ben & Jerry’s is suing its own parent company Unilever for reversing its bid to end sales of its ice cream in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The ice cream maker filed a suit in a New York court in an effort to prevent Unilever from selling the Ben & Jerry’s brand to American Quality Products Ltd, the company that currently licences the Ben & Jerry’s brand in Israel.

Unilever said last week that its arrangement allowed the ice cream will continue to be sold under its Hebrew and Arabic names throughout Israel and the West Bank.

Ben & Jerry’s was allowed to retain an independent board when it was acquired by Unilever in 2000.

Last year, the company’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield announced a withdrawal of its ice cream products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank because it was “inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).”

But Unilever’s move to sell its Israeli business interests effectively sidestepped that this decision.

Ben & Jerry’s said in its lawsuit on Tuesday that its independence would be lost and “the company’s brand integrity forever tarnished” as a result of Unilever’s move.

The global foodmaker said last week: “Under the terms of Unilever’s acquisition agreement of Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, Ben & Jerry’s and its independent board were granted rights to take decisions about its social mission, but Unilever reserved primary responsibility for financial and operational decisions and therefore has the right to enter this arrangement.”