Good news for people who are vegan, lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, or otherwise unable to consume anything that comes out of a cow: Ben and Jerry's dairy-free ice cream is on the way. It's been a long time coming — as Ecorazzi noted, a couple from Charlottesville, VA created a petition on Change.org last year aimed at convincing the brand to add a dairy-free alternative to the lineup — and now we have the official word from Jerry Greenfield that it's in the works. Hoorah! Sundaes for everyone!
Greenfield, who co-founded Ben and Jerry's with Ben Cohen in 1978, spilled the beans to Metro.co.uk yesterday. I'll admit that I'm a little unclear about why the story broke on a British news site, given that Greenfield also noted that the frozen treat wouldn't be coming to the UK until after it had debuted in the U.S…. but eh. Whatever. Any news about a new Ben and Jerry's offering is good news, regardless as to whether it breaks over here or across the pond, right?
Anyway, Greenfield said that he hoped the Vermont-based ice cream company's dairy-free offerings would mean a lot to customers who previously may not have been able to enjoy their treats due to dietary restrictions. “I think that's a big thing for Ben and Jerry's to be doing that,” he told Metro. “In the U.S. there are [dairy free] alternatives from smaller companies, but Ben and Jerrys will be the first mainstream company that will do that and will also do it in a really delicious way.”
Apparently the new frozen dessert will be using either coconut milk or almond milk as the base. There's no word yet on what any of the flavors might be — it's still in the early stages of development, after all — but I'm sure dairy-free ice cream enthusiasts everywhere are hoping that at least a few of the brand's signature flavors make their way into these new cartons.
And as to when we might be seeing this stuff on shelves? Alas, we'll have to sit tight for a bit; it's tentatively scheduled for release in the U.S. during the spring of 2016, with a UK release planned shortly thereafter. But hey, at least we've got something to look forward to, right? Here — have a few ice cream-related GIFs to celebrate. Because it's effing hot right now, and you deserve it.
Images: benjerry.fr/Flickr; Giphy (9)
