Organic Group Sues Ben & Jerry’s Over Advertising Claims

The Organic Consumers Association has filed suit against Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's for deceptive labeling, marketing and sales of Unilever's Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream products.  The suit was filed in D.C. Superior Court this week under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act. The group claims Unilever reportedly spent more than $9 billion on advertising in 2017, and that a “significant portion” was spent to “create the false perception that Ben & Jerry's is committed to a clean environment and high animal welfare standards.”

The association asserts that Ben & Jerry's decades-old practice of sourcing dairy ingredients from conventional dairy operations “has led to a water pollution crisis in Vermont,” adding “there is nothing socially or environmentally responsible about that." The Organic Consumers Association is a self-described grassroots nonprofit consumer advocacy organization representing a network of more than one million consumers.

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