A political stand has the board of Ben & Jerry’s at odds with its parent company, and both could lose millions if Florida pulls its financial support from the company.
Ben & Jerry’s recently announced it would stop selling products in “occupied Palestinian territory.” The move has Sunshine State officials ready to place Ben & Jerry’s and parent company Unilever on the state’s list of “Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel,” Ash Williams, executive director and chief investment officer of the State Board of Administration, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
“We’ve not been seeing any meaningful response from Unilever, period,” Williams told state officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the Business Journal.
Ben & Jerry’s took a stand against Israel’s policy regarding the displacement of Palestinians, which it said is "inconsistent with its values," according to the Globe Banner. Unilever announced in July that it doesn’t support the boycott, according to Reuters, which reported that CEO Alan Jope sent a letter to several Jewish organizations clarifying the company’s position.
“Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any forms of discrimination or intolerance,” Jope wrote in the letter cited by Reuters. “Anti-Semitism has no place in any society.”
Jope, according to Reuters, also explained in the letter that when Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, the deal gave the brand more autonomy over its operations than other brands in the company’s portfolio.
"We have always recognized the right of the brand and its independent board to take decisions in accordance with its social mission. On this decision, it was no different,” he wrote in the letter cited by Reuters.
According to the Business Journal Unilever denied being part of any boycott and noted Ben & Jerry’s has a longstanding partnership with a licensee that manufacturers the ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. They will not renew that agreement next year.
If Florida adds Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever to its list, it will prohibit future business with them, according to the Business Journal, and the state currently has holdings totaling $139 million in Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s. The publication also noted similar actions are being considered in New York and Illinois.
Ben & Jerry’s has until Oct. 26 to change its decision, or the state could follow New Jersey and Arizona, which recently took similar action. Illinois and New York have threatened to do the same, according to the Business Journal.