"Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, were woke before it was cool to be woke. Even after the pair of aging hippies sold the brand to food giant Unilever, their social justice influence continued, thanks to an acquisition agreement with Unilever in which the company agreed to carry on the founders’ tradition of engaging “in critical, global economic and social missions.”
So it’s not surprising that Unilever released a statement on Monday saying it would no longer sell Ben & Jerry’s products in the “occupied territories” — the West Bank and Gaza Strip — once its licensing agreement in Israel expires in 2022.
“ 'Although Ben & Jerry’s will no longer be sold in the OPT, we will stay in Israel through a different arrangement. We will share an update on this as soon as we’re ready,” Unilever’s statement explained.
"This blatant cave-in to pressure by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement did not sit well with some New York supermarket chains.
The board of directors of Morton Williams Supermarkets quickly met and decided that their 15 stores in the city that never sleeps (and one in New Jersey) would cut 70% of its B&J products, the New York Post reported Tuesday. Co-owner Avi Kaner told the daily that his shops would also stop promoting the brand in its circulars and put what was left in “the least desirable locations” of the freezer section.
While unwilling to alienate certain customers by a complete ban, Kaner said he would work to create a domino effect to send a “strong message” to B&J.
“ 'Of all the places in the world to boycott, Ben & Jerry’s has chosen to target the one Jewish nation in the world,” he said. The company, Kaner added, is “reaching out to other major retailers and distributors in the hope that they will follow suit.”
"Kaner tweeted out, “Please try Haagen-Dazs ice cream – you’ll love it!' ” . . .
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