Girl Scouts of USA, a popular youth organization for American girls, is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations of heavy metal content in the cookies produced and sold by it. The allegations first surfaced in a study conducted in three states that found traces of heavy metals and other contaminants in the Girl Scouts cookies. However, the study reached a wider audience and got a lot of media attention when the popular podcast host Joe Rogan mentioned it in his show and labeled the cookies as toxic.
The matter reached the court when a woman living in New York filed a class action lawsuit against Girl Scouts, alleging the presence of harmful elements in the cookies, based on the findings of the study. At present, the first complainant has withdrawn her lawsuit but other plaintiffs are ready to fight a legal battle.
Source of the Allegations
Consumer and food purity groups, GMO Science and Moms Across America, conducted a study involving 25 cookies produced and sold by Girls Scouts. The cookie samples were taken from California, Iowa and Louisiana. The results of the study, published in December 2024, alleged that 100% of the cookies tested positive for at least four out of five heavy or toxic metals, including arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, mercury and lead, and 100% of the cookies were found to contain the herbicide, Glyphosphate. While heavy metals like cadmium and lead increase the risk of cancer and brain disorders, Glyphosphate is linked to a number of pathological conditions like reproductive damage, endocrine disruptions, autism and more.
It is pertinent to note here that the study was not published in any scientific journal and is not peer reviewed. Moreover, the study used a small sample size and compared the levels of heavy metals and glyphosphate to the safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency, instead of US Food and Drug Administration standards.
Details of the lawsuit
On March 10, 2025, a New York resident, Amy Mayo, filed a class action lawsuit against Girl Scouts and its manufacturing/baking partners, Ferrero and ABC Bakers, in a federal court in the Eastern District of New York. The lawsuit alleges that Girls Scouts and its manufacturing partners made false claims about the safety and quality of their contaminated cookies in marketing and packaging materials, and independent testing has verified the presence of toxins in the cookies.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least USD 5 million in damages for the buyers of the cookies, and an injunction to Girls Scouts to disclose the presence of harmful substances in the cookies by updating its packaging.
Amy Mayo, the first complainant, withdrew her lawsuit on March 11, 2025. The current plaintiffs in the case are New York residents Danielle Barabaro and Judy Cholewa.
Girl Scouts’ Position
Responding to the study, Girl Scouts posted a blog on February 6, 2025. In the blog, Girl Scouts refuted the allegations and claimed that the cookies adhere to all the food safety standards and regulations mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. The organisation also pointed out that multiple food products contain trace amounts of heavy metals because they are present in air, soil and water, and trace amounts of glyphosphate are also present in fruits, vegetables and baked products.
Girl Scouts has not released any statement yet on the federal lawsuit filed against it in New York.