Controversies
Rumors have suggested that Ben & Jerry's supported the defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia Police officer Daniel Faulkner. Despite several appeals, Abu-Jamal's conviction has been upheld. As a result of this alleged support, e-mails claimed that the Fraternal Order of Police called for a boycott of Ben & Jerry's products. The Ben & Jerry's website denies that the company has had any connection with the case; however, it adds that Cohen did sign a petition as a private citizen asking that "the system of American justice be followed fully in the case."
The company raised controversy in 2006 after releasing a flavor of ice cream called "Black and Tan." It had named the flavor after the alcoholic drink made by mixing stout with pale ale. However, outrage stemmed from the fact that Black and Tans was also a name given to the irregular force of British ex-servicemen recruited during the Irish War of Independence and renowned for their brutality.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer-advocacy group, had 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. In September 2010, the company agreed to stop labeling their ice cream and frozen yogurt as "all natural."
In 2011, Ben & Jerry's released a flavor named Schweddy Balls, in homage to the Saturday Night Live skit of the same name. The American Family Association protested, saying that the name was too explicit for grocery store shelves. Actor Alec Baldwin, who appeared in the SNL skit as baker Pete Schweddy, hosted the September 24, 2011, episode of the show and mentioned the AFA's outcry in his introduction: " but one sketch people always ask me about is Pete Schweddy and his famous Schweddy Balls. And now Schweddy Balls is its own Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. Now, true story, true story, there is a family organization that is angry about the name because they think it is inappropriate for the grocery store aisle. Well if you don't like Schweddy Balls, Ben & Jerry's has a new ice cream flavor just for you; it's called Go Fudge Yourself."
In 2012, A Ben & Jerry's franchise created a scoop shop only flavor made to order, named "Taste the Lin-Sanity" in honor of Asian-American basketball player Jeremy Lin. It contained lychee honey swirls and fortune cookie pieces, but after initial backlash, Ben & Jerry's replaced the fortune cookies with waffle cookies. The franchisee said that the primary reason was because the fortune cookies got soggy. The operator of the scoop shop later apologized to anyone offended by their Lin-Sanity flavor. Ben & Jerry's corporation never intended to mass produce or distribute the flavor
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