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The co-founders of the well-known frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has announced how parent company Unilever prevented the launch of a new pro-Palestinian ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, that established the company alongside his partner, announced that he will independently develop the controversial product within an individual collection highlighting causes the company has been barred from addressing publicly.

Ongoing Conflict Involving Creators and Parent Company

The recent development intensifies the continuing disagreement among the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant which has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

The co-founders have asserted that the parent company and its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Sorbet as an Emblem of Support

The entrepreneur stated via an Instagram video how he's developing a new watermelon-based frozen dessert, requesting consumer ideas for naming options and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder commented in a cooking set. “I'm creating a watermelon-flavored ice cream that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

This particular fruit has become a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians because of its colors, which mirror those of the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Historical Social Engagement and Current Developments

Several years ago, the ice cream company refused to sell its products in territories occupied by Israel, leading to Unilever transferring their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in disputed territories.

The new dessert series is being developed under Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand which originally created in 2016 to support former US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes and Upcoming Plans

Mr. Cohen revealed how he will create additional ice cream flavors that address concerns that the company was silenced from addressing publicly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned from the company in September, following decades of involvement, mentioning concerns regarding how the company's autonomy had been undermined following corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

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

"My heart leads me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for its independence so that the company can achieve the social mission, the principles that established its foundation while upholding for over 40 years," he told journalists.

• Corporate owner restrictions on political advocacy
• Personal flavor creation by company founders
• Watermelon flavor as social statement
• Ongoing tensions between corporate ownership and social mission