Ben & Jerry’s has been owned by the huge multinational corporation Unilever since 2000 and yet continues to position its brand as part of the progressive movement. Its new Facebook ad (pictured above) is the latest example. As the third largest seller of ice cream in the U.S., Ben & Jerry’s sales in 2017 exceeded 477 million. Since it takes 12 pounds of milk to make just 1 gallon of ice cream, the enormous impact Ben & Jerry’s has on animals, the planet and marginalized communities cannot be underestimated!
By introducing a line of vegan ice creams, Ben & Jerry’s made a strategic business decision to capitalize on a growing vegan customer base, but its vegan products don’t excuse the massive impact of its dairy products. Let’s face it: the dairy industry is a slaughter industry that sends millions of unwanted calves and one third of its female milking heifers to slaughter every year!
And the slaughterhouse industry does more than just kill billions of animals for profit; it is one of the most dangerous and psychologically harmful places to work and is a massive consumer of water, toxic chemicals and energy.
It’s time to call out Ben & Jerry’s: Marketing yourself as “progressive” while being a massive supplier of dairy products is a sham. In an age when nondairy ice creams have mass appeal and could easily replace dairy, you continue your gratuitous exploitation and killing of animals and all of the environmental and social ills that come with it.
It is not progressive to support women’s rights but then systematically exploit the females of other species who carry their babies as long as human mothers and form deep bonds with their offspring. In fact, exploitation is part of the old patriarchal system progressives seek to dismantle!
Please take a moment to share your thoughts with Ben & Jerry’s!
You can call them at 802-846-1500 or send the a message.
