Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, is campaigning to separate the ice-cream brand from its corporate parent, the Magnum Ice Cream Company, arguing that its independence and social mission have been eroded. He says the company has been prevented from speaking publicly on Gaza and that corporate ownership is changing both the brand’s values and product quality, prompting a legal dispute and calls for a consumer boycott.

Ben & Jerry’s was sold to Unilever for $326m in 2000 under an arrangement intended to preserve an independent board and the company’s activism; Unilever later spun off its ice-cream businesses into Magnum in 2025. Cohen estimates Ben & Jerry’s could be worth more than $1bn, but says Magnum will not provide information needed to value it and has ruled out a sale. He is urging shoppers to avoid other Magnum brands, including Breyers, Talenti, Klondike and Yasso, although experts say sustained boycotts rarely force large companies to sell assets.