Ben & Jerry’s Will No Longer Claim That Its Ice Cream Comes From 'Happy Cows'
Ben & Jerry's told a federal judge it has removed a statement from its labels claiming that its ice cream comes from "happy cows" amid ongoing litigation with an organic consumers group.
And that's not it. The company also said it had wiped the faces of the cows on its packaging, leaving them with "no discernible expression."
“They did not look happy to begin with,” the ice cream maker and its parent company Unilever said in a recent court filing, which was covered by Reuters.
The move was cheered by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), who vowed Ben & Jerry's would one day "remove all claims that have no basis in fact" from its marketing.
"The removal of misleading 'happy cow' claims is a victory for consumers and an indication that Ben & Jerry's can't back up those claims," OCA International Director Ronnie Cummins said in a press release. "But this is just one small step toward more honest representation of the Ben & Jerry's brand."
The OCA filed a lawsuit against the ice cream brand in July 2018, which alleged deceptive labeling, marketing and sales.
“Unilever reportedly spent more than $9 billion on advertising in 2017 alone,” Cummins said at the time. “A significant portion of that was spent to create the false perception that Ben & Jerry’s is committed to a clean environment and high animal welfare standards."
A similar class-action lawsuit was also filed in the U.S. District Court in Vermont in October 2019. A motion to dismiss the suit filed earlier in the week first surfaced the news about the "happy cows."
Ben & Jerry's did not respond to a request for comment from Delish. The company recently released its newest flavor, which is an ode to binge-watching. Built upon a peanut butter ice cream base, sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownie also join the party called "Netflix & Chill'd."
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