The chief executive of Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, has criticised the ice-cream maker’s controversial tweet about the Ukraine crisis, saying it should stay away from issues where it does not have “expertise or credibility”.
The ice-cream company, which drew fire with a decision to stop selling its products in occupied Palestinian territories last year, caused a social media storm on Friday by calling on Biden to not send more troops to Europe, saying he risked “fanning the flames of war”.
Unilever boss Alan Jope was asked about the company’s reaction to the tweet during a press call about his company’s annual results on Thursday.
The consumer goods giant acquired Ben & Jerry’s more than 20 years ago in a move that many predicted would dilute the counter-culture ethos of a company founded in 1970s Burlington, Vermont. But the ice-cream maker has continued to speak out on issues such as equality and the climate crisis.
“It is a great brand, most of the time they get it right,” said Jope. “They have a great track record campaigning on important issues. But [on] subjects where Unilever brands don’t have expertise or credibility it is best to stay out of the debate.”
You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war. ⁰⁰We call on President Biden to de-escalate tensions and work for peace rather than prepare for war. ⁰⁰Sending thousands more US troops to Europe in response to Russia’s threats against Ukraine only fans the flame of war.
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) February 4, 2022
Jope pointed out that the views held by subsidiaries are not those of the company. Unilever is unable to muzzle Ben & Jerry’s, as under the terms of its takeover in 2000 the ice-cream company has its own independent board of directors free to take their own political stance.
The company’s decision to stop selling ice-cream in occupied Palestinian territories last summer was highlighted by the leading Unilever shareholder, Terry Smith, the founder of Fundsmith, as the most obvious example of what he feels is Unilever’s obsession with public image and building environmental, social and governance credentials over business performance.
Jope said that Ben & Jerry’s showed strong 9% growth last year, becoming one of 13 Unilever brands to be worth 1bn-plus euros, and said that a new sales “arrangement” in Israel would come into force in 2023.
He said that the Twitter posts on Israel and Ukraine were not responsible for driving ice-cream sales.
“I definitely would not make a connection between those statements and sales growth,” he said. “Growth is driven much more by innovation.”
Ben & Jerry’s will end sales of our ice cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Read our full statement: https://t.co/2mGWYGN4GA pic.twitter.com/kFeu7aXOf3
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 19, 2021
Jope also reiterated that he believes the company is on the right track in pushing sustainability and purpose across its 400 brand portfolio.
“Our brands that have sustainability as part of their proposition are growing faster,” he said. “I still believe it will be absolutely critical for successful businesses of the future. It is the icing on the cake, not the cake [itself]. It comes on top of getting the basics right.”
Calls from investors to consider splitting the business, and a restructure of Unilever’s business units, has raised questions of a potential sale of operations including its ice-cream and nutrition businesses.
“Both are great businesses,” said Jope. “They have some of the strongest brands that can thrive within Unilever. I see a bright future ahead for both the nutrition and ice-cream businesses inside Unilever.”
• This article was amended on 10 February 2022 because an earlier version referred to Ben & Jerry’s being founded in San Francisco whereas it was started in Burlington, Vermont.
