The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unilever, Alan Jope, who owns ice cream maker, Ben and Jerry’s, advised its brand to stay out of matters where they lack expertise. The statement was issued in relation to Ben and Jerry’s policy to stop selling ice-cream in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“On subjects where Unilever brands do not have the expertise or credibility, we think its is best they stay out of the debate,” Alan Jope said during a conference call with the press on Thursday.
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The CEO’s statement pointed to the last year’s decision by Ben and Jerry’s to stop selling ice-cream in the “Occupied Plaestinian Territories” of the West Bank and East Jerasulem, stating that selling it’s ice-cream there is a move ‘inconsistent’ with the company’s values and policies. Initially, Unilever did not protest the boycott, with Jope saying last August that the company does not interfere in the actions of ‘independent’ boards.
However, now the company, which employs thousands in Israel and has millions of dollars invested there, is working on creating a ‘new arrangement’ for Ben and Jerry’s in Israel and cannot take the risk to put millions of dollars at stake.
“Our absolute focus right now is to figure out what the new arrangement will be for Ben and Jerry’s,” Jope added and that the new arrangement is anticipated to come out by the end of this year.
It should also be noted that the CEO of Unilever did not directly criticise the politically-charged ice-cream brand’s decision and even praised the brand for its activism.
“Ben and Jerry’s is a great brand – most of the time they get it right – they have a great track record of campaigning on important issues that are relevant to their consumers,” Jope praised.
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