Ukraine conflict: Ice cream giant publishes appeal to Biden – “Only fuels the flames of war”

Created: 02/08/2022, 13:55

By: Franziska Schwarz

With ice cream (of an unidentified brand): US President Joe Biden in January 2022 © Oliver Contreras/Imago

It is unlikely that the political mediators will listen to an ice cream manufacturer.

The tweet still makes waves.

South Burlington/Vermont - Consumers don't need to find their consumption choices politically relevant.

Examples are the climate protection ambitions of companies whose goods they buy.

Entrepreneurs do not have to find their products politically relevant either.

In any case, no confectionery manufacturer has been at the table in the negotiations on the Ukraine conflict - but one has now positioned itself on the Ukraine conflict anyway.

Ben & Jerry's, part of the British Unilever group, tweeted on February 4: "You cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.

We call on US President Joe Biden to de-escalate tensions and work towards peace instead.

Deploying thousands of troops to Europe in response to Russia's threat to Ukraine only fuels the flames of war."

Ice cream and war scenarios: Unilever subsidiary turns to Biden

Does US President Biden already know about the tweet?

In any case, the statement from Ben & Jerry's is currently going viral - with a shared echo.

There are almost 4000 re-tweets after four days.

There was similar controversy when the Unilever subsidiary got involved in politics on the following issues:

• Israeli settlements in the West Bank

• Britain's refugee policy under Prime Minister Boris Johnson

• the impeachment trial of Donald Trump after the Capitol storm

"We saw a mostly white mob, instigated by the US President, trying to force their way into the seat of our democracy and overturn a fair election," Ben & Jerry's official Twitter account said on Tuesday January 7, 2021 for the Capitol Storm.

Company key data of the US ice cream company Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's was founded in 1978 by Bennett Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

The company has been part of the Unilever Group since 2000.

In 2010, it had to remove its "All natural" slogan from its packaging after US consumer advocates complained that its products contained artificial additives.

In 2017, Ben & Jerry's was among a series of companies where scientists found traces of the herbicide glyphosate in their ice cream.