UnileverNYSE: UL

The lawsuit is the latest sign of the long-simmering tensions between Ben & Jerry's and consumer products maker Unilever, which rejected the claims.

In escalation of long-running tensions, the ice-cream brand says its parent company blocked statements in support of Palestinian rights.

Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) is being sued again by its ice cream subsidiary Ben & Jerry's, which claims the consumer food giant silenced its support of Palestinians in Gaza. Relations between the companies over the situation in the region have been fraught since 2021 when Ben & Jerry's threatened to pull its products from the occupied West Bank due to a conflict with its values.

Unilever is exploring the sale of some of its Dutch food brands, three sources with knowledge of the process said, as part of a turnaround strategy led by CEO Hein Schumacher to focus on its biggest "power" labels.

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that parent company Unilever has silenced its attempts to express support for Palestinian refugees, and threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over the issue.

Unilever's Q3 2024 results showed solid growth, driven by Power Brands and a focus on increasing sales volumes rather than prices. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment led growth, with a 6.70% increase in underlying volume growth, while the Ice Cream segment is set for a spin-off by 2025. Europe's negative underlying price growth reflects economic difficulties, while North America showed the strongest performance, driven by a resilient economy.

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL ) Q3 2024 Earnings Conference Call October 24, 2024 3:00 AM ET Company Participants Hein Schumacher - Director& Chief Executive Officer Fernando Fernandez - Director & Chief Financial Officer Gemma S. - Global Head of Media Relations Conference Call Participants Warren Ackerman - Barclays Celine Pannuti - JPMorgan Chase & Co. Jean-Olivier Nicolai - Goldman Sachs Group Thomas Sykes - Deutsche Bank Guillaume Delmas - UBS Jeffrey Stent - BNP Paribas Exane Victoria Petrova - Bank of America David Hayes - Jefferies Ed Lewis - Redburn Hein Schumacher Good morning and welcome to Unilever's Third Quarter Trading Statement.

Unilever on Thursday reiterated its 2024 outlook after reporting underlying sales growth of 4.5% in the third quarter.

Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR)'s share price rose 3.4%, adding £4 billion to the value of the Dove soap maker, after it posted third-quarter results that slightly exceeded expectations. The company reported a 4.5% rise in underlying sales, surpassing analysts' forecasts of a 4.2% increase, driven by product innovations and a slower pace of price hikes, leading to its largest sales volume growth in over three years.