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Controversy Surrounds Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever Over Political Stances
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Ben & Jerry’s, the popular Vermont-based ice cream maker and subsidiary of Unilever, has found itself in the midst of controversy once again. This time, their provocative July 4th tweet calling for the return of “stolen indigenous land” has sparked heated debates, as was reported by the New York Post. However, it’s not just Ben & Jerry’s that is facing criticism; its corporate parent, Unilever, is also under fire for its refusal to sever business ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
The ice cream maker’s tweet stirred a strong reaction on social media, with numerous users calling for a boycott of Ben & Jerry’s products, as was reported by the Post. Twitter users expressed their disappointment, labeling the tweet as unpatriotic and accusing the company of going too far.
On Thursday, the Post reported that Unilever had experienced a significant loss in market capitalization amounting to approximately $2.5 billion. This decline follows calls for a boycott of the Vermont-based ice cream maker, triggered by the tweet posted on July 4th.
Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch multinational corporation, witnessed a 1% decline in its shares at the opening bell on Thursday, following a previous day’s close with a 0.5% drop, as was reported by the Post. The company’s stock price fell from $52.28 to approximately $51 during Monday’s trading, coinciding with Ben & Jerry’s controversial tweet. Consequently, Unilever’s market capitalization dipped from around $133.5 billion to $131 billion.
While Ben & Jerry’s operates under the umbrella of Unilever, its board maintains independence in expressing political views, as was reported by the Post. In the contentious July 4th tweet and subsequent statement on their website, Ben & Jerry’s emphasized the importance of acknowledging the United States’ existence on “stolen Indigenous land” and called for a commitment to returning it. The Post report indicated that the company further criticized the faces on Mount Rushmore, highlighting the individuals’ roles in damaging Indigenous cultures and denying their rights.
While some applauded the ice cream company for addressing the historical injustices faced by Native Americans, others criticized the message as inappropriate and divisive during a national holiday, according to the Post report.
Meanwhile, Unilever, has been drawing criticism for its business dealings with Russia despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to the Post report. The Moral Rating Agency, based in the UK, accused Unilever of indirectly supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion by continuing to sell its products in Russia. As was reported by the Post, the agency highlighted Unilever’s ice cream brands, Cornetto and Magnum, as examples.
The Ukrainian government, as well as organizations like the Ukraine Solidarity Project, have condemned Unilever for allegedly funding Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Post report noted. A large billboard was even erected outside Unilever headquarters in London, denouncing the company for its actions. Last year, Unilever’s subsidiaries paid a substantial amount of taxes, totaling $331 million, to the Kremlin.
The Post reported that Unilever responded to the criticism, acknowledging the calls for the company to leave Russia but emphasizing the complexities involved. The company stated that leaving the country would result in the appropriation of its assets by the Russian state, leaving its employees and brands at risk. Unilever claimed that it was not trying to protect or manage its business in Russia but instead faced challenges in exiting the market due to its significant physical presence, the report said.
This recent controversy is not the first time that Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have found themselves at the center of political disputes. The Post reported that in 2021, Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling its products in Israeli settlements in the Judea and Samaria region of the country sparked accusations of anti-Semitism. State governments in the US responded by withdrawing significant financial investments from Unilever, the Post report said. The subsequent sale of Ben & Jerry’s Israel division to a local franchisee resulted in a lawsuit between the ice cream maker and Unilever.
Both companies find themselves navigating complex and contentious issues that highlight the intersection of business, politics, and social responsibility. The ongoing disputes underscore the challenges faced by multinational corporations in balancing their operations, values, and societal expectations.
The question of whether ice cream consumption has any nutritional value and which ice cream brands are healthier than others has also been consistently raised by experts and laypeople alike. Because Ben & Jerry’s has taken center stage in this Israel boycott imbroglio, once again the health aspects and detrimental factors in partaking of the luscious comfort food dessert are now been seriously mulled over.
In a July 2021 interview with the Jewish Voice, Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, the creator of the renowned F-Factor™ Diet and an internationally respected registered dietician, said ice cream consumption can be enjoyable, but like everything in life, one is required to practice moderation.
“It happens to be that if someone would have one cup of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, it would be 525 calories, 27 grams of fat, 15g of saturated fat, 54g sugar, 63g carbs, 3g fiber and 9g protein,” said Tanya. She added that what is most concerning is that this brand is really calorically dense, exceptionally high in fat and that “this is NOT even their heaviest, most decadent flavor!”
Based on a 2000 calorie a day diet, a (1 cup) serving of B&J chocolate fudge brownie is more than ¼ of daily calories (525 calories; ¼ is 500), said Tanya. She added that it is more than 1/3 of the fat should eat in a day (no more than 30% calories from fat; 600 calories fat per day = 66.67g of fat. 22g fat is 1/3 of fat one should eat. 1 cup has 27g).
Tanya explained precisely why ice cream consumption on a regular basis can be a leading factor in raising bad cholesterol levels, thereby putting people at risk for heart disease and stroke. “As we know, saturated fat is worse than regular fat because too much of it causes elevated cholesterol levels as plaque builds up in the arteries. This particular flavor of Ben & Jerry’s has 15 grams of saturated fat, “ explained Tanya. She said that saturated fats not only raise LDL (bad) cholesterol but lowers HDL (good) cholesterol and added that the high LDL increases risk for heart disease and stroke.
Tanya also said that in addition to increasing one’s risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, the consumption of such massive amounts of sugar in ice cream converts into fat and is a highly significant contributor towards adult onset diabetes. Today in the United States tens of millions of Americans are afflicted with diabetes which has life threatening consequences.
Added Tanya, “Saturated fats should be less than 10% of your daily calories.” She said that 200 calories is equivalent to 22 grams of saturated fat. 15 grams of saturated fat is more than 2/3s of the saturated fat you should have in a day.
Concerning ice cream, Tanya said that a one cup serving has 14.75 teaspoons of sugar. She added that, “You have to remember that in a one cup serving of ice cream, there is little under 1/3 cup of sugar.”
The ingredients in ice cream are cream, liquid sugar, skim milk, water, sugar and generally cocoa, said Tanya. Another ingredient that sends up a health alert is soybean oil. Tanya explained that “soybean oil is mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids. It’s mostly used for drying because it has a high smoke point and its inexpensive.”
