Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has resigned from the ice cream brand after nearly five decades, accusing parent company Unilever of undermining the social mission that made the brand famous.

In a letter shared on X by long-time partner and fellow co-founder Ben Cohen, Greenfield said it was with a “broken heart” that he could no longer, “in good conscience,” remain at the business he started with Cohen in 1978.

Greenfield claimed that under Unilever ownership, Ben & Jerry’s had been “silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” despite a long tradition of the ice cream brand speaking out on issues of peace, justice and human rights.

“It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” he wrote, referring to the unique governance agreement that originally safeguarded the brand’s activism.

After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal #FreeBenAndJerrys pic.twitter.com/EZXGRjs76a

— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) September 17, 2025

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The split comes as Unilever prepares to spin off its global ice cream division – which includes Magnum and Wall’s – into a standalone company later this year.

A spokesperson for the newly created Magnum Ice Cream Company said it “disagreed” with Greenfield’s characterisation and had tried to engage constructively with the founders.

Cohen also criticised Unilever’s handling of the brand, telling Sky News last week he would give back the proceeds from the 2000 sale if it meant restoring independence.

Ben & Jerry’s has clashed with Unilever before, most notably in 2021 when it announced it would stop selling in Israeli-occupied West Bank territories.

Greenfield said his departure came at a time of heightened political tension in the US: “Our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community. Standing up for values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important.”

The news follows an ongoing court case with Unilever, in which Ben & Jerry’s claimed to be silenced, and their CEO “ousted” out in an attempt to silence their humanitarian stance.

In May, Cohen was arrested in Washington DC, after staging a protest during a US Senate hearing to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.