Ben & Jerry's owner 'stops brand from developing Gaza peace flavour'

The co-founder of Ben & Jerry's has accused its owner of being part of a movement of "corporate butt kissing" of Donald Trump and that management had blocked the ice-cream brand from producing a flavour in support of peace in Gaza.

- Sarah Butler Jasper Jolly

Ben Cohen told the Guardian Unilever was pursuing a “corporate attack on free speech” by blocking the development of a special flavour in solidarity with the Palestinian people. It is understood the flavour had been approved by Ben & Jerry's independent board and first mooted about a year ago.

Magnum, the group’s ice-cream arm, confirmed it had not gone ahead with the board’s suggestion for a Palestine-themed product this summer.

Cohen has mounted a “Free Ben & Jerry’s” campaign to persuade Unilever to sell the brand to a group of socially minded investors who he said had pledged to allow it to continue its social mission.

With Trump in the White House, Cohen said now was the time that “companies and anyone who believes in justice, freedom and peace stands up. This is the moment when it is most needed for Ben & Jerry’s to be able to raise its voice.

“It seems like anything that Trump is against, all those things got censored.”