Girl Scouts of America Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit That Threatens to Disrupt Beloved Cookie Season
If you weren't aware of it already, it's officially Girl Scout cookie season. The nationally recognized (and quite frankly, obsessive) cookie season falls between January and April of each year, bringing with it loads of fan-favorite flavors for all to enjoy. Between Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Do-si-dos, S'mores and Lemon-Ups, there's plenty of flavors to go around once the season begins.
Before we go too far down the favorite-flavor rabbit hole, there is one unfortunate bit of information that can potentially spoil this season's Girl Scout cookie madness: a class action lawsuit. That's right, our beloved Girl Scout cookies were just slapped with a federal lawsuit claiming that some cookies contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins.
The lawsuit, which was filed by a New York woman on Monday, certainly comes as bad timing for many, as it cites a study by 'Mom's Across America' and 'GMO Science,' claiming that 100-percent of cookies tested in the study contained toxins. It is important to note, however, that the study's claims are solely based on a small sample size of only 25 cookies across three states. So do with that information what you will.
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In the meantime, there are some other factors that have been made clear in light of the lawsuit. For one, the study results were not peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal. Additionally, the lawsuit seeks $5 million dollars in damages for people who brought the cookies across the United States. The lawsuit also calls for the cookie sellers to disclose the substances on packaging moving forward.
In response to the allegations made via the lawsuit, The Girl Scouts of America shared a blog post last month that the cookies are, in fact, 'safe to eat' and 'manufactured in line with all food safety regulations.' The company also added that heavy metals happen to occur naturally in soil where trace amounts are not a safety issue.
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'Girl Scout Cookies are made with ingredients that adhere to food safety standards set by the FDA and other relevant authorities,' the blog post read. 'Our trusted bakers remain committed to compliance with all food safety standards and regulations set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other relevant health authorities.'
Until an official recall is on the books, we'll have to keep an eye on the situation as it develops. In our opinion, a study of more than just 25 cookies should be conducted, however it is pretty worrisome to learn that all 25 cookies tested positive for heavy metals and other toxins. There's definitely more to learn as the investigation progresses.
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