PolitiFact – Story about Publix dropping Ben & Jerry’s products originated on satire site

Ice cream purveyor Ben & Jerry’s has long been vocal about its activism and progressive values, seeking to “eliminate injustices in our local, national and international communities.”

But that mission has not provoked a grocery store chain to drop the company’s wares. Some bloggers are claiming otherwise.

“Publix drops Ben and Jerry’s ‘for the good of our kids,’” reads a June 4 headline on a blog simply titled “News Article.”

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Maria Brous, a Publix spokesperson, told PolitiFact the story is false. 

“Our stores carry Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,” Brous said.

There’s a big clue in the story that it’s not authentic news. The post says, “Publix CEO Joe Barron released a memo stating that the company, which is employee-owned and very family oriented, will no longer carry Ben & Jerry’s ice cream products.” 

Publix’s CEO is Todd Jones, not Joe Barron. 

We found no press releases on Publix’s website announcing that it has dropped Ben & Jerry’s products.

And searching for Ben & Jerry’s products in Publix locations around the country, we found some favorite flavors on store shelves. Pints of Half Baked, for example, are on aisle 9 in a Publix in Tampa, Florida. 

Searching for other coverage of this alleged news, we found the exact same story published on The Dunning-Kruger Times, a self-described satire website. 

We rate claims that Publix has dropped Ben & Jerry’s products False.