Saturday 22 October 2011

Ben & Jerry's Flavor Unpopular in Supermarkets

If you haven’t been able to get your hands on Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls yet, you’re not alone. It seems the limited edition, delicious (dish) ice cream inspired by the oft-quoted Saturday Night Live skit hasn’t been available at certain grocer locations since it was unveiled last month.
According to the Associated Press, some chains have opted not to sell the flavor, which came under fire from the American Family Association group One Million Moms, who called for a boycott of the ice cream because of its “vulgar” name.
While stores won’t say whether it’s pressure from One Million Moms (that is a lot of moms to have to deal with, after all) or their own discretion as the reason why they’re not carrying the product, the ice cream — with ingredients that include Fair Trade vanilla ice cream mixed with a hint of rum, fudge covered rum balls, and milk chocolate malt balls — is still going strong despite being shut out of some freezers.


The One Million Moms group isn't laughing at the title, saying the name is nothing but locker room humor that's not appropriate for young children, according to the Associated Press. They are pushing groceries and the Ben & Jerry's company to discontinue the flavor.


Store chains that have decided not to carry the flavor are not saying whether their decisions were influenced by the One Million Moms group, their own reservations about the name or other factors, according to the Associated Press.


Suzi Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop chain, said that for proprietary reasons, the company does not disclose the reasons behind decisions about what the stores do and don't carry, the Associated Press reports.


"We haven't received any complaints that we're not carrying that flavor. However, if we do get feedback from customers that they want it, we'll certainly revisit the decision," she said, as reported by the Associated Press.


Despite the limited availability, Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood said Thursday that Schweddy Balls has quickly become the most popular limited-edition flavor the company has produced, according to the Associated Press.

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