Girl Scouts of the USA has been hit with a lawsuit claiming its cookies are contaminated with dangerous heavy metals and pesticides, an allegation the Georgia-founded organization denies as its members sell millions of boxes of baked treats.
New York residents claim in their federal lawsuit that the cookies sold by Girl Scouts contain aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury as well as pesticides including glyphosate. The plaintiffs, Danielle Barbaro and Judy Cholewa, seek compensation for everyone in the country who bought Girl Scouts cookies within any applicable period under the law.
“As a result of its deceptive acts and practices, (Girl Scouts) sold millions of boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to unsuspecting consumers nationwide,” the complaint states.
Girl Scouts responded to the allegations in a public blog, saying its cookies are made with ingredients that adhere to food safety standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other relevant authorities.
“The health and safety of Girl Scouts and cookie customers is our top priority,” the company wrote in the blog. ”Rest assured: Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume.”
The case, filed Monday in a New York federal court, references a December 2024 report by GMOScience, a group formed in 2014 by physicians, scientists and others to discuss the effects of genetically engineered products and pesticides.
The report alleges “extremely concerning” results came from testing Girl Scouts cookies for toxic metals and glyphosate.
In response, Girl Scouts said heavy metals and other environmental contaminants can occur naturally in soil and therefore trace amounts can be found in nearly all foods containing plant-based ingredients. It said glyphosate is widely used in agriculture under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards and that trace amounts are “found nearly everywhere in the food chain,” including in fresh fruits and vegetables.
“This does not mean that these foods are harmful to consume,” Girl Scouts said. “Our trusted baking partners continue to ensure the integrity of our recipes and the safety of all Girl Scout Cookie products in accordance with federal regulations and Global Food Safety initiative standards.”
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in weed killer products such as RoundUp, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer in humans. Researchers from the University of Washington reported in 2019 that glyphosate exposure may increase the risk of some cancer by up to 41%.
The lawsuit was initially filed by Amy Mayo, a New York resident who voluntarily dismissed her claims the following day, when Barbaro and Cholewa filed an amended complaint. Their attorney, Blake Yagman, did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the case.
Barbaro and Cholewa’s civil claims are potentially worth more than $5 million, according to the complaint. That is the minimum amount for proposed class actions in federal court.
Nearly $1 billion worth of Girl Scouts cookies are sold annually across the country, according to the lawsuit. In a normal year, Girl Scouts sell about 200 million boxes of cookies, NPR reported.
Girl Scouts cookies are typically sold between January and April as a way for members to raise funds for their councils. The organization says its cookie program is the “largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world” and teaches members valuable skills such as interacting with customers and creating budgets.
Girl Scouts has not yet answered the complaint in court.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
