On collision course with owner Unilever, ice-cream firm Ben & Jerry’s calls for Gaza ceasefire
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has called for a “permanent and immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, putting it in opposition to the stance of its owner, the Unilever consumer goods multinational.
Ben & Jerry’s head of board Anuradha Mittal said that the firm stood up for peace, British Broadcating Corporation (BBC) reported.
“Promoting peace has been an integral part of Ben & Jerry’s DNA for four decades.
“Today, Ben & Jerry’s Board stands steadfast with that principle by calling for peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire,” she was quoted as saying.
A spokesman for Ben & Jerry’s also said the statement calling for a ceasefire was made on behalf of its independent board, and that it was consistent with the company’s values.
The firm has already clashed with the owner Unilever after it previously tried to stop sales in West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Ben & Jerry’s is known for its political activism and when the firm was purchased by Unilever, it preserved its right to have an independent board to guide its social mission.
The firm is also known for its stances with the left on issues like LGBTQ+ rights and climate change.
In 2021, before the current flare-up in Gaza, Ben & Jerry’s had already provoked one row when it spoke up about the treatment of Palestinians.
The ice cream company said it no longer wanted its products to be sold in parts of Palestine illegally occupied by Israelis including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The stance prompted warnings from the Israeli government and led the prominent Jewish organisation, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, to respond with calls for a boycott of “antisemitic ice cream”.
Politicians in some United States, including most recently North Carolina, also moved to withdraw state pensions and other money from Unilever over the issue.
Over the objections of Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever eventually sold the Israeli branch to a local operator with a settlement that allowed sales to continue under different branding.
Mittal, who also runs the left-leaning think tank the Oakland Institute, shared her personal views on the conflict in Gaza in December, criticising Israel’s action in Gaza.
It prompted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre to take to social media again criticising Ben & Jerry’s.
The post, which the Wall Street Journal reported was deleted after the newspaper asked about it, was controversial as it carried a picture of Ms Mittal and provoked online abuse directed at her personally.
Activist investor Nelson Peltz, a board member at Unilever, later resigned from his position at the centre.
