Greenfield’s departure comes as the company presses for independence ahead of Unilever’s planned listing of its global ice cream business in November, amid mounting friction over Ben & Jerry’s outspoken stance against Israel over its war in Gaza and its position toward Palestinians in the West Bank.
The dispute stems from Ben & Jerry’s decision in 2021 to stop selling products in Israeli settlements, a move Unilever opposed.
Despite a merger agreement designed to safeguard the brand’s activism, Greenfield claimed the company’s independence had eroded. “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” he said in his resignation letter.
A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, Unilever’s ice cream unit, said the company was “grateful” for Greenfield’s contributions but added that it had made efforts to engage both founders on preserving Ben & Jerry’s “values-based positions in the world.”
Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, has long championed causes from LGBTQ+ rights to fighting against climate change.
Co-founder Cohen has been a polarizing figure for years due to his outspoken activism, in recent years after backing controversial critiques of U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine.