Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, has announced he is leaving the company after years of disagreements over free speech and values with its Unilever parent.
Co-founder Ben Cohen announced Mr Greenfield’s departure on X.
“After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together,” he wrote.
“His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by Magnum Global.” He was referring to another of the companies owned and operated by Unilever.
Mr Greenfield’s lengthy message was frank about the recent disagreements over the ice cream brand’s history of weighing in on social justice issues, including Middle East politics.
“From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself,” he said. “If the company couldn't stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn't worth being a company at all.”
He then said that he would continue to advocate for social justice issues outside the realm of the Ben & Jerry’s brand that he helped start.
Ben & Jerry’s has been in a legal battle with Unilever for almost two years. For the last five years, it has been at the centre of controversy in Israel.
In 2021, the company announced it was going to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying the sales were “inconsistent with our values”.
At the time, Israeli officials warned Unilever that the decision would have “serious consequences”, prompting the parent company to take greater control of the ice cream brand. This move eventually resulted in litigation.
In 2025, Ben & Jerry's told a court that Unilever had wrongfully sacked its chief executive, David Stever, in part because of his views on Gaza and Palestine.
It also alleged that Unilever had unfairly sought to silence the social mission of Ben and Jerry’s.
Unilever has challenged the accusations, maintaining that it acted within its rights in dealing with Ben & Jerry’s under the terms of its ownership agreement.
The litigation is continuing.
During an interview in March with The National, Mr Cohen explained the ice cream brand’s long-standing decision not to shy away from political or social justice issues.
“We believe that our company has a responsibility to work to improve the quality of life for people in our local, national and international communities, and we're firmly opposed to war, firmly in favour of peace and human rights, justice,” he said.
“If you're led by your values, you kind of have to use what tools you have available to live up to those values.”
