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Ben & Jerry's's founding member Jerry Greenfield has left the company after almost five decades, escalating an ongoing disagreement with parent company the multinational conglomerate.

Through a statement posted on social media by fellow co-founder Ben Cohen, Mr Greenfield asserted that the enterprise had lost its autonomy after Unilever halted its social activism.

The exit marks the most recent chapter in a controversy that began in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced it would stop sales in Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem.

A spokesperson for the ice cream division, which is being spun off from Unilever, expressed thanks to Greenfield but disagreed with his stance.

A Difficult Choice

In his letter, Greenfield characterized leaving the firm as "one of the hardest and most painful decisions" he had taken, adding that he could no longer in good conscience be part of a organization that had been "muzzled" by Unilever.

This occurred despite an agreement that protected the company's ethical values when it joined with the global corporation decades prior.

Corporate Reaction

An official for The Magnum Ice Cream Company stated that the organization had been in discussions with both co-founders before Mr Greenfield's choice to leave.

"We differ with his view and have attempted to involve the two co-founders in a constructive dialogue on how to strengthen the brand's powerful values-based standing in the world," they commented.

History of Advocacy

The company has historically been recognized for advocating publicly on progressive causes since its establishment in 1978, often supporting movements on topics like equality rights and environmental sustainability.

In recent months, Ben & Jerry's claimed that its chief executive, David Stever, was being ousted by Unilever.

This claim was included in a legal case submitted in a American court by Ben & Jerry's that accused Unilever of violating a merger agreement by attempting to suppress its "ethical advocacy".

This followed claims that Unilever had demanded the company to stop publicly criticising then-President Donald Trump.

A Unilever spokesperson remarked that the corporation was "disappointed that the privacy of an internal discussion has been disclosed".

Additional Developments

In May, Mr Cohen was detained during a demonstration in the US Senate over foreign assistance to Israel and crisis situation in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters disrupted the session while a government official Robert F Kennedy Jr was testifying.

Cohen was accused with a misdemeanour offence, while a number of other demonstrators were also arrested and are confronting additional allegations, law enforcement stated.