Ben & Jerry’s owner is trying to oust the head of the ice cream maker’s board after investigating its charitable donations to pro-Palestinian causes. Unilever executives said in a securities filing Anuradha Mittal “no longer meets the criteria” to sit on the committee, which was created in 2000 to protect Ben & Jerry’s progressive mission when it was sold to the Dutch conglomerate. Semafor previously reported that Unilever was auditing the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation’s grants to progressive groups, including two with ties to foundation leaders, and had cut off funding for the charity after its trustees refused to cooperate.
What began as a niche tussle between opinionated founders and straight-laced corporate owners has turned into a major headache for Unilever, which will spin off its ice-cream businesses next month. Mittal did not respond to a request for comment, but Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen called the findings “a power grab to stifle the social mission, which will in turn destroy the long-term value of the brand.”