Ben & Jerry’s has accused its parent company Unilever of attempting to silence the ice cream brand’s criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump as part of Unilever’s restructuring efforts ahead of the planned spinoff later this year. In a filing to a Manhattan federal court, Ben & Jerry’s revealed that Unilever’s ice cream chief, Peter ter Kulve, had prohibited the brand from making any posts criticizing President Trump without prior approval. This move was justified by ter Kulve as necessary due to the restructuring creating a “new dynamic” in an “unprecedented time.”

This isn’t the first time Ben & Jerry’s has clashed with Unilever over social activism issues. The ice cream brand has a long history of social consciousness since its founding in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. The tension between the two companies escalated in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s ceased sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leading to public disputes.

Unilever’s decision to spin off Ben & Jerry’s and other ice cream brands into a separate entity comes as part of its strategy to streamline its product portfolio, which includes popular brands like Dove, Hellmann’s, and Vaseline. Amsterdam has been chosen as the primary listing location for the spinoff over London and New York. The ice cream division generated significant revenue of 8.3 billion euros in 2024.

The legal battle between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever is ongoing in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. The outcome of this dispute will not only impact the future of these iconic ice cream brands but also shed light on the complexities of corporate restructuring and social activism within multinational corporations.