New lawsuit accuses Girl Scouts of unsafe metals and pesticides in cookies

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A New York woman filed a $5 million class action lawsuit against the American Girl Scouts, claiming that her popular cookies were contaminated with dangerous heavy metals and pesticides. Plaintiff Amy Mayo filed a complaint on March 10 against the Girl Scouts and their cookie manufacturers Ferrero and ABC Bakers. The lawsuit says biscuits contain dangerous levels of heavy metals such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, as well as pesticides such as glyphosate. According to the lawsuit, “Expand Test” conducted “Expand Test” in 2024, where 100% of the tested cookies contain at least four of the five heavy duty lists. The cookies were sampled from California, Iowa, and Louisiana to ensure testing accuracy, with results reportedly consistent across the locations.The cookies tested include some of the Girl Scouts' most popular offerings, such as Thin Mints, Samoas (Caramel deLites), Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties), and Trefoils.In response to the concerns, Girl Scouts of the USA released a statement on February 6, defending the safety of their products. “Girl Scout Cookies are safe to eat and are made under all food safety regulations,” the group said. The statement also states that trace amounts of heavy metals can naturally occur in the soil and glyphosate residues can be found in many agricultural products. The statement added: “These metals were not added to our Girl Scout Cookies. However, Forbes clarified that there was no recall and that the comparison of the study was based on EPA water safety standards rather than FDA food standards. Forbes further explained: “The FDA and USDA allow pesticides and metal residues in foods that are considered harmless.” “Based on current regulations, cookies are not considered a health risk. The lawsuit also stresses that the Girl Scouts sell more than $1 billion in cookies each year, and these products are sold and sold by children.

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