Holy Cannoli! I have a Moral Dilemma

Growing up in Massachusetts, I became a devotee of ice cream.  Massachusetts is in the top five states in the nation for per capita ice cream consumption.  Pretty sure if I still lived there it would easily take back the #1 position.  I'm not saying I'm an ice cream glutton - I don't eat quarts of the stuff per day, but I sure do like to have it a couple of times per week, regardless of season.

In the 80's, with Vermont so close by, I was an early adopter of Ben and Jerry's.  I watched the company go regional, then national.  I was a fan of their corporate culture as much as I was of their product.  Then came Unilever.

Wisely, Unilever continued to produce the same quality product.  They didn't "dumb it down" for mass consumption, but somewhere Ben and Jerry's started to gradually slip.  The original product became a little over shadowed by the seemingly never ending quest for clever new flavors.  They lost me a couple of years ago with their tip of the hat to SNL and the "Schweddy Balls" flavor.  They went from being clever, to hip and ended up just a little bit snarky.

They also lost me when their commitment to quality ingredients began to slip.  Until recently, Ben and Jerry's has made no commitment to guarantee that their products are all natural.  In fact, they presently contain GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms).  Their milk, once all pasture raised and organic, is now sometimes fed GMO feed.  Their add ins and flavorings leave many open ended questions about food quality as well.

Since 2012, when Unilever spent nearly $500K to prevent the passage of California's Proposition 37, which would have mandated labeling of GMO foods, I have been quietly boycotting Ben and Jerry's.  There have been moments when this has caused me some personal discomfort or at least dissatisfaction.  As I said earlier, I love ice cream and their product, despite the occasional GMO ingredient is still one of the best mass marketed ice creams on the market.  It was a small price to pay for conscience - I could eat other ice cream (like my current favorite Three Twins - ALL ORGANIC!) for a while until the FDA pulled their heads out of their sphincters and required GMO labeling.

Just this past week, a new angle to presented itself and has left me with a dilemma.  We're obviously not talking world peace here, but this does take up some thought for me.  Ben and Jerry's has announced that by the end of the calendar year all of their products will be certified GMO free.  Great, right?

Well, that's just it.  I'm not so sure.  Either I can stop my boycott and start buying Ben and Jerry's and know that product is free of GMO's BUT still have the revenue go to Unilever which MAY still use those proceeds to fight a GMO labeling requirement but also showing Unilever that there really is a viable and appreciable market for non-GMO products so they may adopt more GMO free products into their portfolio OR do I continue to boycott until Unilever, the parent company, broadens its commitment to make ALL of their products GMO-Free. 

I'm torn.  Ice cream should not be stress inducing.  What are your thoughts, friends?  Should I take up my spoon again once Ben and Jerry's are all certified GMO free and thereby use positive reinforcement on the free market OR continue to boycott until Unilever concedes that they will be GMO free in all of their products OR at least agree to label those products which contain GMOs?

I need some comfort food just thinking over the huge moral implications of all of this.  I think I'll have some Three Twins.  They're guilt free!