Ben & Jerry’s should stay out of politics, says owner

Unilever chief rebukes ice cream brand as Marmite maker delivers inflationbusting price increases

BEN & Jerry’s should avoid “straying into geopolitics”, its owner Unilever has said, as the pair prepare for a legal battle over the ice cream maker’s Israeli boycott.

Ben & Jerry’s is suing its parent company over Unilever’s decision to sell the ice cream maker’s Israeli operations. The move overruled Ben & Jerry’s independent board and effectively ended its boycott of Israel. The ice cream maker had planned to stop sales of its products in the region in protest over occupied Palestinian territories.

Alan Jope, Unilever chief executive, yesterday said Ben & Jerry’s independent board had been put in place to “protect the social mission of the company and of the brand” rather than wade into international relations.

“They’ve done a lot of work also on social justice issues and there is plenty for Ben & Jerry’s to get their teeth into their social justice mission, without straying into geopolitics,” he said.

Earlier this year Ben & Jerry’s also came under fire after claiming Joe Biden, the US president, was “fanning the flames of war” in Russia.

Mr Jope described the situation with the independent board as a “good, healthy tension” and brushed off speculation the company could look to sell the ice cream brand, saying the “longterm future of Ben & Jerry’s is squarely as part of Unilever”.

Ben & Jerry’s has argued that the sale of its Israeli operations harms the “social integrity” of its brand. Unilever claimed it still has “primary responsibility for financial and operational decisions”.

Mr Jope’s comments came as Unilever reported strong sales growth underpinned by inflation-busting price rises.

Unilever, which also makes brands including Marmite and Hellmann’s

‘There is plenty for Ben & Jerry’s to get their teeth into their social justice mission, without going into politics’

mayonnaise, said underlying sales rose 8.1pc in the first half of the year. This was driven entirely by price increases and volumes fell 1.6pc as the cost of living crisis squeezed household spending.

Unilever hiked its prices by 11pc in the three months to the end of June, running ahead of the UK’S headline inflation rate of 9.4pc. The company battled “unprecedented” levels of inflation in its own supply chain for the price rises.

The price of a jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise had risen by a third over the last year to reach £2, according to figures compiled for The Daily Telegraph by Assosia. A 100g jar of Colman’s Original English Mustard, another Unilever brand, has risen by as much as 25pc to hit £1.25.

Separate figures from the British Retail Consortium suggest inflation in shops continues to gain pace, accelerating at the fastest pace in nearly two decades this month.

Prices across supermarket floors have risen 4.4pc in a year, according to the BRC, the highest on records going back to 2005.

Helen Dickinson, the BRC’S chief executive, said: “Retailers are doing all they can to absorb as much of these rising costs as possible and to look for efficiencies in their businesses and supply chain.

“Nevertheless, households and businesses must prepare for a difficult period as inflationary pressures hit home.”

Food prices rose 7pc, which Ms Dickinson blamed on pressures including “exorbitant land transport costs”, while non-food inflation was at 3pc.

Mike Watkins, from Nielseniq, which gathered the data, said the grocery industry was under particularly “intense pressure”, with competition increasing as shops vie for customers.