Crumbling Empire

Posted on Jul 15, 2025 by

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the discount grocery chain Aldi making cookies that look and taste exactly like Girl Scout cookies. I also wrote about how the store’s mimicking of other products caused them to get sued by Mondelēz, Nabisco’s parent company, for allegedly copying the packaging of their cookies and crackers.

Now, apparently the Girl Scouts of the USA are in the crosshairs after being the subject of a class action lawsuit over accusations that their cookies contain toxic metals and the herbicide glyphosate.

The suit was filed in the Eastern District of New York and is seeking at least $5 million in damages and a court order requiring the Girl Scouts to affix a warning label on the boxes of their cookies, which they sell over 200 million of each year. Ferrero U.S.A. Inc. and Interbake Foods LLC, the companies that actually bake the cookies, were also named as defendants in the case.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs cited research conducted by GMOScience and Moms Across America, which was first published in December. The consumer and food-purity groups investigated 25 types of cookies gathered from across several states. All the cookies tested positive for the herbicide and drying-out chemical glyphosate, a highly toxic and controversial weed killer that is banned in many countries because it’s so dangerous. In addition, all the cookies also tested positive for at least four of five heavy or toxic metals, including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. All but one of the cookies contained lead.

GMOScience said that glyphosate was linked to “cancer, endocrine disruption, gut issues, miscarriages, sperm damage, autism, neurotoxicity, and reproductive damage,” while cadmium and lead were linked to cancer and brain disorders and developmental issues in children. Glyphosate exposure in children is linked to liver inflammation and hormone disruption, among other issues.

The Girl Scouts responded to the research by releasing a blog post stating, “The health and safety of Girl Scouts and cookie customers is our top priority. Rest assured: Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume.” The blog went on, “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.”

“Our bakers have confirmed that the levels reported do not pose a food safety concern to our customers,” the non-profit group insisted, adding, the chemicals and heavy metals in question “are not added to our Girl Scout Cookies.”

The Girl Scouts asserted heavy metals occur naturally in soil, suggesting that its cookies contained “trace amounts,” which is common in food and not a safety issue. They also contended that glyphosate is found “nearly everywhere” in the food chain.

The lawsuit, though, argued that “while the entire sales practice system for Girl Scout Cookies is built on a foundation of ethics and teaching young girls sustainable business practices, defendants failed to uphold this standard themselves.”

The plaintiffs speculate that the toxins likely stem from the Girl Scouts buying inexpensive ingredients from places that are known to have problems with polluted soil, air and water. Accordingly, they claim that they were harmed because they paid full price for the cookies without being advised of the presence of the chemical and metal levels in them.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love heavy metal in my playlist, but not in my food.



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Reg P. Wydeven

Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney at McCarty Law LLP
Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age, Reg’s practice primarily consists of advising individuals on estate planning, estate settlement and elder law matters. As Reg represents clients in matters like guardianship proceedings and long-term care admissions, he feels grateful to be able to offer families thorough legal help in their time of need.
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