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The original creators behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's has claimed that parent company the multinational conglomerate stopped the introduction for a new Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, who co-founded the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, announced that he plans to independently develop the controversial product within an individual collection showcasing causes Ben & Jerry's has been prevented from speaking out about.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders and Parent Company

The recent announcement deepens the ongoing conflict among the world-famous dessert company and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant which has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

The co-founders have claimed how the parent company along with its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked their company against "honouring its social mission".

Watermelon Flavor as an Emblem for Solidarity

Mr. Cohen stated via an Instagram video how he's developing an innovative watermelon-based frozen dessert, asking for consumer ideas for naming options plus additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder declared in a cooking set. “I'm creating a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol for support for the Palestinian people due to its colors, that match the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Historical Activism and Recent Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, leading to the parent company transferring the Israeli operation over to a local licensee, thus allowing ongoing distribution in the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series is being developed under Ben's Best, the activist ice cream brand which originally created in 2016 for endorsing ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders via the product "Bernie's Return".

Management Changes and Upcoming Plans

The founder indicated that he will develop other ice cream flavors focusing on issues that the company was silenced from addressing publicly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry's recently, after many years with the organization, citing concerns regarding how its independence had been compromised following corporate moves to curb its social activism.

Previously, Ben Cohen commented how "Jerry has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart compels me to keep working inside the company to advocate for its independence ensuring that the company can fulfill the social mission, the principles which established its foundation while upholding for decades," he told media outlets.

• Corporate owner restrictions regarding political advocacy
• Independent product development by original creators
• Watermelon flavor as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements among corporate ownership and social mission