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One of the co-founders behind the well-known frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has stated how corporate owner Unilever prevented the launch of a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, that co-founded the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, announced that he plans to personally create this new flavor as part of a personal series highlighting issues the company was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders versus Parent Company

This latest announcement intensifies the ongoing conflict between the world-famous dessert company and its corporate parent, the UK-based consumer goods giant that has owned the ice cream brand for over two decades.

Both founders have asserted how the parent company and its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented their company against "maintaining its activist principles".

Watermelon Sorbet as a Symbol for Support

Mr. Cohen stated via an Instagram video that he's developing an innovative watermelon-based frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding naming options plus potential ingredients.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented in his kitchen. “I'm creating a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol of support for Palestinians because of its colors, which closely resemble those of the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism and Recent Changes

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of its products in territories under Israeli control, resulting in Unilever transferring their Israel business over to a local licensee, thus allowing ongoing distribution within the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, the activist dessert company which was first created several years back for endorsing ex- political contender Senator Sanders via the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Management Changes plus Upcoming Plans

The founder revealed that he will create additional ice cream flavors focusing on issues that Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking about openly by Unilever.

The announcement follows partner Mr. Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry's recently, after decades with the organization, mentioning worries that its independence was compromised after Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

At that time, Mr. Cohen remarked how “My partner has strong compassion and this conflict with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart leads me to keep working inside the company to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that it can fulfill the social mission, the values which it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner restrictions on social activism
• Independent flavor creation from company founders
• The fruit-based product as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements among corporate ownership versus social mission