FACT CHECK: Did Ben & Jerry’s Release A New Ice Cream Flavor In Honor Of Joseph Rosenbaum?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor in honor of Joseph Rosenbaum, a man who was shot and killed by Kyle Rittenhouse during an August 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence of a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor in honor of Rosenbaum. The claim stems from a parody Twitter page.

Fact Check: 

Rittenhouse, an 18-year-old from Illinois, is on trial for the fatal shootings of Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, as well as injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during an Aug. 25, 2020, protest in Kenosha, the Associated Press reported. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time of the protest, which was in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, according to The New York Times

An image on Facebook claims to show a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor in honor of Rosenbaum called, “Rosenbaum’s Heroic Hazelnut.” Text in the image states all proceeds from the flavor will be donated to Black Lives Matter. (RELATED: Is Ben & Jerry’s Discontinuing Its Vanilla Ice Cream To Combat White Supremacy?)

However, there is no evidence Ben & Jerry’s unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Rosenbaum. A review of the company’s website turned up no results for a flavor called “Rosenbaum’s Heroic Hazelnut.” Nor has Ben & Jerry’s made any such announcement on its verified Twitter account.

The claim of the supposed new ice cream flavor appears to stem from a tweet posted by Victory News Network. Victory News Network describes itself as parody in its Twitter bio, indicating the tweet was not meant to be taken seriously. Despite the Disclaimer, some social media users have shared the image without a warning, seemingly believing it to be genuine.

Ben & Jerry’s has previously been vocal about its political views, ending its sales in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to protest “internationally recognized illegal occupation,” and supporting causes like criminal justice reform and racial justice.

The company sent a tweet on Nov. 11 about the Rittenhouse trial stating “our ‘justice’ system is racist. How would this trial be going if he was a Black 17 yr old that crossed state lines illegally carrying an AR-15 and shot 3 white protesters?”

Ben & Jerry’s did recently announce on its Twitter page a new flavor dedicated to Colin Kaepernick called “Change The Whirled,” with proceeds going to the Know Your Rights Camp, an organization founded by Kaepernick.