Ben & Jerry's founder 'heartbroken' as he quits after 47 years amid row with UK owner

The co-founder of Ben & Jerry's crystal pick has said helium has a "broken heart" aft quitting the institution amid a enactment with its UK owner.

Jerry Greenfield said helium couldn't "in bully conscience" proceed successful his relation and claimed Unilever had "silenced" its activism.

Ben & Jerry's has clashed with its genitor institution for a fig of years, astir notably successful 2021 erstwhile the marque said it would halt income successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The woody with Unilever successful 2000 was designed to let Ben & Jerry's to enactment independent, with an extracurricular committee acceptable up to support its societal ngo and values.

However, successful an unfastened missive shared connected X by co-founder Ben Cohen, Mr Greenfield said it was "profoundly disappointing" the independency promised was present gone.

He said helium had a "broken heart" implicit his determination to quit, but claimed Ben & Jerry's had been "silenced, sidelined for fearfulness of upsetting those successful power".

"It's happening astatine a clip erstwhile our country's existent medication is attacking civilian rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community," Mr Greenfield added.

Unilever is successful the process of spinning disconnected its crystal pick business - which besides includes Magnum and Wall's - into a abstracted company, with completion expected aboriginal this year.

A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) said it disagreed with Mr Greenfield's position and had tried to prosecute with some co-founders connected however to fortify Ben & Jerry's values-based position.

Unilever has ever argued that it "reserved superior work for fiscal and operational decisions" arsenic owners of Ben & Jerry's - but hasn't yet responded to Mr Greenfield's resignation.

Read much from Sky News:
Madeleine McCann fishy released from prison
Images of Trump and Epstein projected connected Windsor Castle

Ben Cohen said past week that Ben & Jerry's had tried to enactment unneurotic a woody to merchantability the steadfast to investors but that the connection was rejected.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cohen said helium would springiness backmost the wealth from the Unilever merchantability if it meant the marque could beryllium independent.

"You're saying, would I springiness it back? Absolutely. If we could inactive person Ben and Jerry's independent, immoderate day", helium said.

"It seems similar the committee of Magnum has been Trumpified", Mr Cohen added.

Ben & Jerry's antecedently claimed Unilever had demanded it halt nationalist disapproval of the US president. Ben Cohen himself was arrested earlier this twelvemonth implicit a protestation successful enactment of Gaza during a US Senate hearing.

The crystal pick marque began successful Vermont successful 1978 and its distinctive selling and flavours - specified arsenic phish nutrient and cherry garcia - helped marque it a planetary hit.