Are Girl Scout Cookies Safe? A Lawsuit Raises Concerns Over ‘Dangerous Toxins'
Girl Scouts of America is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit that claims its cookies contain heavy metals and pesticides.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed in federal court on Monday against Girl Scouts of America and its cookie manufacturers Ferrero U.S.A. and Interbake Foods. The lawsuit is led by Amy Mayo out of New York State.
Specifically, the lawsuit calls out a 2024 study commissioned by Moms Across America and GMO Science, which tested the cookies for toxic metals and the herbicide glyphosate/AMPA. According to the findings, "100% of the samples were positive for glyphosate, 100% were positive for toxic metals, 22 out of 25 (88%) of samples were positive for all five toxic metals, 76% were positive for levels of cadmium that exceed EPA limits in water, and 24 out of 25 (96%) of samples were positive for lead."
Related: A Highly Subjective Ranking of the Best Girl Scout Cookies
In the lawsuit, Mayo says she would have either paid "substantially less" or not purchased the cookies at all had the organization disclosed the "dangerous toxins."
However, it's critical to note that this study was not peer-reviewed, nor was it published in a scientific or academic journal that will call for that kind of rigorous background. It also had a very small sample size, testing and purchasing only 25 cookies across three states: California, Iowa, and Louisiana. Furthermore, as USA Today pointed out, the study compared the levels of heavy metals and glyphosate to Environmental Protection Agency standards, rather than those set by the Food and Drug Administration.
Still, it was enough to persuade a class-action suit. "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 lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages to be paid to U.S. buyers and an injunction requiring Girl Scouts to add disclosures to its packaging.
Related: Are Stanley Cups Safe to Use? We're Settling the Debate
While Girl Scouts hasn't commented on the lawsuit, it did reply to the study in a February blog post, noting, "The health and safety of Girl Scouts and cookie customers is our top priority. Rest assured: Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume." It added that its cookies are made with "ingredients that adhere to food safety standards set by the FDA and other relevant authorities." It also added that these contaminants are often found in the environment, which "does not mean that these foods are harmful to consume."
"The Girl Scout Cookie Program is about more than a sweet treat. It teaches Girl Scouts to think critically, build confidence, and use the skills of entrepreneurship, leadership, and business ethics in the real world," It added. "And remember: every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies powers life-changing experiences for Girl Scouts right in your local community. Visit girlscoutcookies.org to support a troop in your area."
Read the original article on Food & Wine
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Experts doubt FBI's claim that crop fungus smuggled by Chinese students is a threat
By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) -A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a "dangerous biological pathogen" is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said. On Tuesday, U.S. federal prosecutors accused two Chinese researchers of smuggling samples of the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S., describing it as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon. Yunqing Jian, 33, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology has been charged in connection with allegations that she helped her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggle the pathogen into the U.S. However, agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters this week said the fungus has been in the U.S. for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities. "As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one," said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said extensive testing for the fungus' toxin, widespread use of fungicides and the difficulty of intentionally creating an infection with the pathogen would make it a clumsy weapon. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined Reuters' request for comment. Since the 1900s, U.S. farmers have been battling the fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, usually known as "scab," which often infects wheat, barley and other grains on farms during rainy years. The telltale pink streaks on the grain heads contain a toxic byproduct called vomitoxin, which is tested for and tightly controlled by grain elevators where farmers sell their crops. Constant testing and monitoring means that only negligible amounts of vomitoxin ever make it into the bread, pasta and cookies Americans eat, far below levels that would sicken a human, experts said. "We have a long history of managing epidemics of scab," said Andrew Friskop, professor and plant pathologist at North Dakota State University, noting that farmers have access to many tools to prevent and control the disease. Farmers began regularly spraying their fields with fungicide as early as the 1990s, and researchers have since developed multiple strains of fungus-resistant wheat. Plant experts said that it would be difficult to fully assess the risks posed by the samples without more information on the particular strain. But Rutkoski, whose research involves intentionally contaminating wheat with the fungus, said that she isn't always successful at infecting her test field's wheat with scab. She said the pathogen is difficult to control, and her lab has to strike the right balance of temperature and humidity to create an infection. In federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Jian was charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the U.S., smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. Jian did not comment on the charges, and the lawyer who represented her in court was not immediately available for comment. Liu could not be immediately reached for comment. The court scheduled Jian's bail hearing for June 13.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Contraceptives for poorest countries stuck in warehouses after US aid cuts
By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -Contraceptives that could help prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies in some of the world's poorest countries are stuck in warehouses because of U.S. aid cuts and could be destroyed, two aid industry sources and one former government official said. The stock, held in Belgium and Dubai, includes condoms, contraceptive implants, pills and intrauterine devices, together worth around $11 million, the sources told Reuters. It has been stalled since the Trump administration started cutting foreign aid as part of its 'America First' policy in February, as the U.S. government no longer wants to donate the contraceptives or pay the costs for delivery, they said. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has instead asked the contractor managing its health supply chain, Chemonics, to try to sell it, two of the sources said. An internal USAID memo, sent in April, said a quantity of contraceptives was being kept in warehouses and they should be "immediately transferred to another entity to prevent waste or additional costs". A senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters no decision had been made about the future of the contraceptives. They did not respond to questions about the reasons why the contraceptives were in storage or the impact of the U.S. aid cuts and delays. A spokesperson for Chemonics said they were unable to comment on USAID's plans, but added that the company is working with clients to deliver life-saving aid globally and would continue to support the U.S. government's global health supply chain priorities. The stock represents just under 20% of the supply of contraceptives bought annually by the U.S. for donation overseas, a former USAID official told Reuters. Selling or donating the contraceptives has been challenging, according to the former USAID official, although talks are ongoing. Another option on the table is destroying it, at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. As time goes on, shelf-lives will also become an issue, one of the sources said. The sources told Reuters that one of the key delays is a lack of response from the U.S. government about what should be done with the stock. It had been destined largely for vulnerable women in sub-Saharan Africa, including young girls who face higher health risks from early pregnancy as well as those fleeing conflict or who otherwise could not afford or access the contraceptives, the sources added. The condoms also help stop the spread of HIV, the former USAID official said. "We cannot dwell on an issue for too long; when urgency and clarity don't align, we have to move on," said Karen Hong, chief of UNFPA's supply chain. She said the agency is now working on Plan B to help fill critical supply gaps.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
South Africa to ramp up vaccinations as foot-and-mouth disease spreads
(Reuters) - South Africa is building up vaccine stocks and expanding inoculations to fight a worsening foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the agriculture ministry said, as the country faces threats to beef supplies. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious, viral infection of cloven-hoofed animals that may also affect other species. Flare-ups have been reported over the past several months in five of South Africa's nine provinces, with KwaZulu- Natal being the worst affected. This week, Karan Beef, which operates the country's largest feedlot and one of the world's biggest, reported an outbreak at its facility in Heidelberg, about 50 kilometres southeast of Johannesburg. The quarantine imposed on the feedlot, which slaughters about 2,000 cattle daily, could impact beef supplies. The government has ordered over 900,000 doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines with the first batch expected to arrive next week, the agriculture ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. "These plans are not only about responding to outbreaks, but also about building permanent infrastructure to manage future risks," it said. There are growing calls by some cattle producers to declare a "state of disaster" and protect the industry from financial losses. Invoking disaster law gives the government additional powers to intervene in a crisis. The foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have resulted in South African beef and related products being banned in markets such as China, Namibia and Zimbabwe. South Africa's livestock sector is also recovering from its worst avian flu outbreak, which destroyed a third of the national chicken flock in 2023. On Thursday, the government announced the first ever mass vaccination of poultry to prevent a repeat outbreak of high-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a bird flu that spreads rapidly in an infected flock, causing a high death rate.
