[4] In 1980, Cohen and Greenfield rented space in an old spool and bobbin mill on South Champlain Street in Burlington and started packing their ice cream in pints.

This genetically engineered hormone is sometimes given to cows to boost milk production, but Ben & Jerry's does not support this practice and is in favor of using less chemically intensive ingredients for the safety of consumers and the environment.

Due to what they described as increasing supply, quality, and cost challenges, Ben & Jerry's discontinued the use of the Eco-Pint in 2006, transitioning to a pint container made out of a bleached paperboard that it said was more readily available.

[27] On Earth Day in 2005, when a vote in the U.S. Senate proposed the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, Ben & Jerry's launched a protest by creating the largest ever Baked Alaska, which weighed 900 pounds (410 kg), and placed it in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

[33] On July 19, 2021, it was announced that Ben & Jerry's planned to end sales in Occupied Palestinian Territory, within which Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.

[34] Due to the refusal of American Quality Products - Ben & Jerry's Israel, its local franchisee since 1987,[35][36] to comply with this policy, the company statement said it did not plan to renew the franchise in 2022.

[44] Months after teaming up with Tony's Chocolonely to raise awareness for ending modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry, Ben and Jerry's suppliers were found by The New York Times to be employing illegal migrant children in early 2023.

Ben & Jerry's head of values-led sourcing, Cheryl Pinto, said that "if migrant children needed to work full time, it was preferable for them to have jobs at a well-monitored workplace".

[citation needed] The company website states (as of December 2020) that the most popular flavor is "Half Baked", with "Cherry Garcia" placing second, and "Chocolate Fudge Brownie" following in third.

[53][54][55] On March 13, 2012, Ben & Jerry's announced it would be changing the name of one of its ice cream flavors in the UK in support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

[65][66][67] In April 2015, the company confirmed that it was working on vegan options, after hearing consumers' feedback, led by a petition and the organization Farm Animal Rights Movement.

[74] In October 2018, Ben & Jerry's launched a campaign for a limited-edition ice cream flavor that also held a political message focusing on resisting the presidential administration of Donald Trump.

[75][non-primary source needed] The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer-advocacy group, urged Ben & Jerry's to stop labeling their ice cream as "all natural" due to the company's use of corn syrup, alkalised cocoa, and other chemically modified ingredients.

[78] This received protests from One Million Moms, a project of the conservative Christian group American Family Association, who said that the name was too explicit for grocery store shelves.

However, the expression of disdain was not unanimous among U.S. parents, as mother Gina Ragusa said to The Huffington Post: "We just think it's funny, that's all, and honestly we all really want to try it", adding that she consistently checks for the item's availability at her local supermarket.

[79] Actor Alec Baldwin, who appeared in the SNL skit as baker Pete Schweddy, hosted the September 24, 2011, episode of the 37th season of the show and responded to the protests by stating that a new flavor called "Go Fudge Yourself" had been produced for those in opposition to the tribute.

Following the initial release of the flavor, Baldwin informed the media that "thanks to Ben & Jerry's, the goodness of the Schweddy family recipe won't go with me to the great beyond," as he had previously feared that his association with the SNL episode would remain permanent until his death.

[80] Following rumors that suggested Ben & Jerry's supported the defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal — who was convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia Police officer Daniel Faulkner[81] — the company confirmed that Cohen did sign a petition, as a private citizen, asking that "the system of American justice be followed fully in the case".

[89] As of November 2014[update], 232 organizations across the United States and in seventeen countries worldwide have signed a letter written by VTJP calling on Ben & Jerry's to end its commercial ties to such settlements.

"[92] In May 2017, Ben & Jerry's announced they would not serve two scoops of the same ice cream flavor in Australia, due to the refusal of the Australian government to legalize same-sex marriage.

"[98] In August 2020, Ben & Jerry's supported the English channel crossings of migrants from France, in a series of tweets directed at Home Secretary Priti Patel.

[106] On July 19, 2021, Ben & Jerry's announced that it plans to end sales in Occupied Palestinian Territory, within which Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.

The company statement referenced this, noting that it was responding to "the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners", while confirming that sales operations would continue in Israel beyond 2022 "through a different arrangement".

[109] The news drew some harsh criticism from Israeli public figures, with foreign minister Yair Lapid tweeting: "Ben & Jerry's decision is a disgraceful capitulation to anti-Semitism, to BDS, to all that is evil in the anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish discourse.

[113] On July 5, 2022, Ben & Jerry's sued its parent company to block the sale on the grounds that it threatened to undermine the integrity of the brand and that it was inconsistent with its values to sell its ice cream in the occupied West Bank.

[114] On July 15, minutes before that first scheduled hearing in the lawsuit, both Ben & Jerry's and parent company Unilever announced they would pursue dispute resolution via mediation instead.

[115] In November 2024, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever, claiming that its parent company had cracked down on its attempts to support Palestinian refugees and threatened to replace and sue its board members over the issue.

[121] Attempts by migrant laborers to directly contact Ben & Jerry's company officials in Waterbury, Vermont, during 2018, resulted in arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

[citation needed] During the 2020 protests against racial prejudice following the police murder of George Floyd, Ben & Jerry's publicized a statement encouraging Americans to "dismantle white supremacy" and face "the sins of our past".

[123] In 2023, Ben & Jerry's received criticism for posting a tweet on Independence Day, claiming that the United States was founded on "stolen Indigenous land" and that Mount Rushmore should be returned to the Lakota people.