Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has criticised Unilever for “muzzling” the ice cream brand’s social mission, warning that the FMCG giant risks damaging both its reputation and shareholder value by refusing to grant the brand independence.

The comments follow Unilever’s third-quarter results yesterday, which confirmed that the long-planned IPO of its ice cream division, including Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s, has been postponed.

Cohen, who is leading the Free Ben & Jerry’s campaign said: “The question Unilever should be asking itself is what happens to the bottom line when a brand built on authenticity and social values is systemically muzzled by its parent company.

“Does Unilever really think Ben & Jerry’s customers will be satisfied with a change in logo to Magnum Ice Cream Company when they’ve clearly voiced they want the company to be free and independent?”

Cohen also accused Unilever of breaching the 2000 acquisition agreement that enshrined Ben & Jerry’s ability to act independently on social and political issues, adding that the dispute has created “frustrated employees and disappointed customers”.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

He urged Unilever to consider a sale to “values-aligned investors” who could “protect the Ben & Jerry’s brand that customers know and love.”

The ice cream division, which includes brands such as Magnum, Cornetto, Wall’s, and Carte D’Or, has been under strategic review since Unilever announced plans to spin it off earlier this year, citing margin pressures and operational complexity.

Last month Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned after five decades at the ice cream brand, following an ongoing court case with Unilever over the alleged silencing of Ben & Jerry’s humanitarian calls.

In a letter shared on X by long-time partner 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.

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.