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https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/ben-jerrys-co-founder-jerry-greenfield-resigns-unilever-campaigning-rcna231819>
'Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand, has stepped
down from the company he started 47 years ago citing a retreat from its
campaigning spirit under parent company Unilever.
Greenfield wrote in an open letter late Tuesday night — shared on X by his
co-founder Ben Cohen — that he could no longer "in good conscience" remain an
employee of the company and said the company had been "silenced."
He said the company's values and campaigning work on "peace, justice, and human
rights" allowed it to be "more than just an ice cream company" and said the
independence to pursue this was guaranteed when Anglo-Dutch packaged food giant
Unilever bought the brand in 2000 for $326 million.
Cohen's statement didn't mention Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza,
but Ben & Jerry’s has been outspoken on the treatment of Palestinians for years
and in 2021 withdrew sales from Israeli settlements in what it called "Occupied
Palestinian Territory."
Greenfield's resignation comes five months after Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit
accusing Unilever of firing its chief executive, David Stever, over his support
for the brand's political activism. In November last year Ben & Jerry's filed
another lawsuit accusing Unilever of silencing its public statements in support
of Palestinian refugees.
"It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that
independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone," Greenfield
said.
"And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is
attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the
LGBTQ community," he added.'
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
