A co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has accused its owners of a fresh attempt to “silence” its social mission through the departures of three members of its independent board.
Ben Cohen spoke up after it emerged that its chair Anuradha Mittal, who had previously resisted parent company pressure to remove her, had left Ben & Jerry’s in the wake of new rules imposed by the US brand that included nine-year term limits for board members.
It is understood that two other long-standing directors, Daryn Dodson and Jennifer Henderson, will see their terms expire on 31 December.
Ben & Jerry’s has, since last week, been owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) which was created by a spin-off from the UK-based consumer goods firm Unilever.
Unilever bought Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 but the relationship has been sour since, despite the creation of the independent board at that time which was aimed at protecting the brand’s social mission.
The most high-profile spat came in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s took the decision not to sell ice cream in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories on the grounds that sales would be “inconsistent” with its values.
Unilever responded by selling the business to its licensee in Israel.
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A series of rows have followed akin to a tug of war, with Magnum refusing repeated demands by the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s to sell the brand back.
Magnum and Unilever argue its mission has strayed beyond what was acceptable back in 2000, with the brand evolving into one-sided advocacy on polarising topics that risk reputational and business damage.
TMICC declared last month that Ms Mittal “no longer meets the criteria” to serve after internal investigations.
An audit of the separate Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, where she is also a trustee, found deficiencies in financial controls and governance. Magnum said the charitable arm risked having funding removed unless the alleged problems were addressed.
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Ms Mittal had accused Magnum of attempts to “discredit” her and undermine the authority of the independent board.
Neither she, or the other two directors set to leave the board, were yet to comment.
Mr Cohen said the three directors had served the company with integrity and courage, calling their departure “another step in Magnum’s systematic effort to dismantle Ben & Jerry’s from the inside and silence the very social mission that gives the brand its value.”
Magnum said it fully supported the steps Ben & Jerry’s was taking to enhance board governance.
