Spoiled ice cream: Unilever auditing Ben & Jerry's political spending
The effort follows a continuing feud between the parent company Unilever and the leftwing owners of the beloved ice cream brand.
Ben and Jerry's parent company, Unilever, is conducting an audit into the ice cream company's social and political spending, "with a focus on its grants to progressive and pro-Palestinian groups, including to an organization with ties to two of the foundation’s trustees," according to a report today (Tuesday) by Semafor.
Unilever is reportedly seeking to spin off its ice cream division into a stand-alone company. As part of that effort, they aim to examine the funding of Ben & Jerry's social and political donations and contributions, which include a significant mount of money to pro-Palestinian organizations and people.
This audit is but the latest step in an ongoing clash between Unilever and Ben & Jerry's over the latter's pro-Palestinian activism, which has led to significant public embarrassment for the parent company.
This was especially the case in 2021, when Ben & Jerry's decision to refuse to sell ice cream in Judea and Samaria created a media firestorm that led Unilever to sell the regional license and allow the ice cream to continue to be sold.