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The original creators of the famous frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has announced how corporate owner Unilever prevented the introduction for a new Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, who co-founded the company alongside his partner, announced how he will independently develop this new flavor within a personal collection showcasing issues Ben & Jerry's has been prevented from addressing publicly.

Longstanding Conflict Involving Creators versus Parent Company

This latest development intensifies the continuing tension among the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, the British consumer goods giant that has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

The co-founders have asserted how the parent company and their ice cream division the Magnum brand improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Flavor as a Symbol for Solidarity

Mr. Cohen announced via an Instagram video that he's developing an innovative watermelon-based sorbet, requesting consumer ideas regarding naming options and additional components.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder stated in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored frozen dessert that advocates for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians and calls for addressing the harm that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as an emblem for solidarity with the Palestinian people due to its coloration, which match those of the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism and Recent Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever transferring their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting continued sales within the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series will be created through Ben's Best, the activist ice cream brand that was first established in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Senator Sanders via the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Changes plus Future Intentions

The founder revealed how he plans to develop other frozen dessert varieties that address issues which the company was silenced from speaking about openly due to Unilever.

The announcement follows co-founder Mr. Greenfield stepped down his position at Ben & Jerry's in September, after many years of involvement, mentioning concerns that its independence had been undermined following Unilever's decision to curb its social activism.

At that time, Mr. Cohen commented that "Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."

"My heart compels me to keep working inside the company to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that the company can achieve its ethical purpose, the principles that it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years," he told journalists.

• Corporate owner restrictions on political advocacy
• Personal product development by original creators
• Watermelon flavor serving as social statement
• Ongoing disagreements among corporate ownership versus social mission