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The co-founders behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has claimed that corporate owner Unilever prevented the launch of an innovative Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, who co-founded the company with Jerry Greenfield, disclosed how he plans to personally create this new product within an individual collection showcasing issues Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Creators and Corporate Owner

This latest announcement intensifies the ongoing conflict among the internationally recognized ice cream maker with its corporate parent, the British packaged goods giant which acquired Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

The co-founders have claimed that Unilever and its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Sorbet as a Symbol of Solidarity

Mr. Cohen announced via an Instagram video how he's developing a new watermelon-based sorbet, requesting consumer ideas for the product's name plus potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder declared in a cooking set. “I'm creating a watermelon-based frozen dessert that calls for permanent peace in Palestine while demanding addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has become an emblem of solidarity with Palestinians due to its coloration, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Historical Social Engagement and Recent Changes

Several years ago, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in areas under Israeli control, resulting in the parent company transferring the Israeli operation to a local licensee, thus allowing continued sales within disputed territories.

This upcoming product line will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious ice cream brand which originally established several years back for endorsing former US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Leadership Shifts and Upcoming Plans

Mr. Cohen stated that he plans to create additional ice cream flavors that address concerns that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly by Unilever.

The announcement comes after partner Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's in September, after decades with the organization, mentioning worries regarding how the company's autonomy was compromised following Unilever's decision to restrict its social activism.

Previously, Ben Cohen remarked how “My partner has strong compassion and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."

“My conscience leads me to continue to work inside the company to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that it can fulfill the social mission, the values which it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he told media outlets.

• Corporate owner limitations regarding political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation by company founders
• Watermelon flavor as social statement
• Ongoing disagreements among corporate ownership and social mission