Is Ben & Jerry’s on the brink of collapse?
The woke ice cream company is facing a class action lawsuit over its supply chain that allegedly employs migrant child labor.
The lawsuit followed an exposé from The New York Times, which uncovered child labor infractions by major U.S. companies. The report said migrant child labor is used to process milk in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
According to the Daily Caller, plaintiff Dovid Tyrnauer alleges he would not have purchased or would have paid less for Ben & Jerry’s products if he had known migrant child labor was used. The ice cream brand aligns itself with ethically-sourced products, which the plaintiff claims is a “breach of consumer trust” that amounts to “pompous virtue-signaling.”
“If migrant children needed to work full time, it was preferable for them to have jobs at a well-monitored workplace,” said Ben & Jerry’s head of values-led sourcing, Cheryl Pinto.
The class action lawsuit also claims Ben & Jerry’s uses social justice issues as part of its marketing. The ice cream seemingly promotes politicians such as Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Barack Obama. They also make limited ice creams for social justice issues such as “Change Is Brewing” for police reform in 2021, “Pecan Resist” against former President Donald Trump in 2019 and “Empower Mint” for alleged voter suppression in 2016. The most recent ice cream in 2023 promotes the “mission to end modern slavery in cocoa farming.”
It’s hard to celebrate 4/20 when so many people of color are still being arrested for pot. We have to do better. Learn more: https://t.co/DPCcqND0SI pic.twitter.com/fLsngGteOF— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) April 20, 2019
The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy. https://t.co/YppGJKHkyN pic.twitter.com/YABzgQMf69— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) June 2, 2020
Following The Times report, Ben & Jerry’s issued a lengthy statement in response to the claims.
“We are deeply concerned by the claims made in this story, and do not tolerate any suppliers who are not adhering to the law. Let us be extremely clear: Ben & Jerry’s stands in strong opposition to child labor. We have a long history of standing for justice and equity, and using our business to improve the lives and livelihoods of those we serve and work with. These beliefs do not stop at our company’s supply chain,” Ben & Jerry’s said.
“It is an established fact that the dairy industry comes with profound social and environmental challenges. It is with this understanding that we, over the lifetime of the company, have sought to implement innovative solutions on dairy farms that promote thriving livelihoods for farmers and farmworkers, support animal welfare, and mitigate the negative environmental impacts of dairy farming.” the company continues.
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