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One of the original creators of the famous frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has claimed that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate prevented the launch for a new Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

The entrepreneur, that co-founded the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, announced that he plans to personally create this new flavor within an individual collection showcasing causes the company was prevented from speaking out about.

Longstanding Conflict Involving Creators and Corporate Owner

This latest development intensifies the ongoing tension between the world-famous dessert company and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods giant which has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

Both founders have claimed that the parent company and their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented their company against "maintaining its activist principles".

Watermelon Flavor becoming a Symbol of Support

Mr. Cohen announced via an Instagram video that he is creating an innovative watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding the product's name and additional components.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen commented in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored frozen dessert that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol for solidarity with Palestinians due to its colors, which match the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Historical Activism plus Recent Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever transferring the Israeli operation over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in disputed territories.

The new dessert series is being developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious ice cream brand which originally established several years back for endorsing ex- political contender Bernie Sanders via the product "Bernie's Back".

Management Changes and Upcoming Plans

The founder stated how he plans to create other ice cream flavors that address concerns that the company was prevented from addressing publicly by corporate restrictions.

This development comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's recently, after many years with the organization, citing worries regarding how the company's autonomy was undermined after corporate moves to curb its social activism.

Previously, Mr. Cohen stated how "Jerry has strong compassion and this conflict with Unilever was breaking it."

“My conscience compels me to keep working within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that the company can fulfill the social mission, the principles that established its foundation and has maintained for decades," he told media outlets.

• Corporate owner restrictions on social activism
• Independent flavor creation from original creators
• The fruit-based product serving as social statement
• Ongoing tensions between corporate ownership versus social mission