A New York woman has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the Girl Scouts of America following claims that the organization’s cookies contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court by Amy Mayo on Monday, claims that the Girl Scouts of America, along with cookie manufacturers Ferrero U.S.A. and Interbake Foods (operating under the name ABC Bakers), are selling cookie containing heavy metals and toxins.
The lawsuit points to a study commissioned by groups Moms Across America and GMO Science that said that 100% of the cookies tested contained aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, and that 13 cookies were positive for high levels of glyphosate, an herbicide typically used to kill weeds.
The study wasn’t published in a scientific journal, was not peer-reviewed and used a small sample size, which Forbes pointed out “doesn’t necessarily reflect contamination levels nationwide.” It also compared heavy metals and glyphosate levels not to U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety standards, but rather to water safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency, which aren’t applicable to food.
Yet the study’s results were touted by popular podcaster Joe Rogan, amplifying the claims to a large audience, and later going viral on TikTok and social media platforms beyond.
Lawsuit seeks millions in damages
The lawsuit echoes the findings of the study, alleging that Girl Scout Cookies contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and pesticides. It accuses the Girl Scouts of making false claims about the safety and quality of Girl Scout Cookies in marketing materials and packaging. The lawsuit says that Mayo and other potential plaintiffs would not have purchased the cookies had they known this information.
