Ben & Jerry’s sues Unilever over sale of Israeli business – Reuters

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company, Unilever, in a move to block the sale of its Israeli business, according to Reuters.

Ben & Jerry’s filed a complaint in the US District Court in Manhattan, saying that the sale to Avi Zinger, which runs local licensee American Quality Products, threatened to undermine the integrity of the brand.

The sale of the Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel was announced last week. The move marked an attempt by Unilever to extricate itself from a row over sales of the brand in the occupied Palestinian territories and meant that Ben & Jerry’s would continue to be available across Israel and the West Bank.

At the time, Ben & Jerry’s said that: “We continue to believe it is inconsistent with Ben & Jerry’s values for our ice cream to be sold in the occupied Palestinian territory”.

The Ben & Jerry’s board retained independence to protect the integrity of the brand when Unilever acquired the company in 2000.

Unilever, cited by Reuters, said it does not discuss pending litigation, but that it had the right to sell the disputed business and the transaction has already closed.