Girl Scouts Cookies Announce New Partnership Despite Lawsuit

Girls Scout cookies are known to be one of the most highly anticipated seasons for food, especially cookies.

Girl Scout cookies earn most of their revenue from discounted sales or in-person purchases. According to The Street, this program is known to be the world’s most extensive girl-led entrepreneurial program. It comprises 111 councils and around 4,000 troops. Currently, Girl Scouts has 1.1 million active members. When it comes to brands, Girl Scouts has multiple successful brands they’ve partnered with, such as IHOP, Wendy’s, Dunkin Donuts, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and more.

According to the 2024 financial report, over 200 million boxes were sold, and Girls Scouts earned over $4 million. Despite current setbacks, Girl Scouts has recently added another partnership. The brand that recently collaborated with Girls Scouts is Pop-Tarts.

Known as Kellanova’s brand, Pop-Tart and Girls Scouts of the USA partnered in a limited-time collaboration to create two Girl Scout Cookie-inspired flavors: Thin-Mints and Caramel deLites Samoas, which are known to be Girls Scout’s most famous cookie flavors.

Pop-tart first teased the collaboration on its Instagram on March 10, featuring the two upcoming flavors. People didn’t take long to catch on and be excited about the flavors.

“So pumped for these! Cannot wait to try both! This definitely needs a review!” said one commenter.

“Thin mint and samosas! I’m the most excited about the samosa flavor; however, I think that the Thin Mints are going to be better,” said another commenter.

One former Girl Scout provided her input on the new collaboration, saying, “As a Girl Scout recipient, these are Thin Mints and Samoa flavored, and I’m drooling! I need these, pretty please!”

Despite the recent collaboration, these flavors haven’t been officially on sale yet or have a release date. However, these flavors are expected to launch soon and will be available at grocery stores and online retail stores.

Another notable collaboration that Girl Scouts have made has been with Wendys. Like the Pop-Tart Thin-Mints, Wendy’s will release a Thin-Mint flavored frosty ahead of the spring season, which is also for a limited time.

“By bringing together two iconic fan favorite flavors into a single spoonful, were delivering an exclusive, one-of-a-kind Frosty experience to connect with our Wendy’s fanbase and Girl Scout Cookie Supporters alike,” said Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. CMO for the Wendy’s Company in their announcement.

It’s the beginning of Girl Scout season, and it’s already off to a rocky start. A New York woman has recently filed a class-action lawsuit against not only the Girl Scouts of the USA but the cookie manufacturer Ferrero U.S.A.

The reasoning behind this lawsuit is that the woman claims that the organization’s cookies allegedly contain heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful toxins. The court filed the lawsuit on Monday by Amy Mayo, claiming that ABC Bakers, which Girls Scouts of the USA, Ferrero U.S.A, and Interbake Foods are selling these cookies.

“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 claimed.

The lawsuit also points to study commission groups such as Moms Across America and GMO Science that claimed 100% of the cookies tested contained aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury and that 13 cookies tested positive for high levels of glyphosate, an herbicide used to kill weeds.

However, this study hasn’t been published or peer-reviewed. It was also used for a small sample size that “doesn’t necessarily reflect contamination levels nationwide,” according to Forbes. The heavy metals and glyphosate that were allegedly found were compared not to U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety standards but to water safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Small amounts of heavy metals can be found naturally in the environment, including in food products, due to sir, water, and soil exposure. These metals are not added to our Girl Scout Cookies,” Girl Scouts said in a statement.

Despite the Environmental Protection Agency not applying to food, the lawsuit still gained traction after popular podcaster Joe Rogan spoke on the situation to his large audience. Afterward, it started appearing on social media and platforms such as TikTok.

The lawsuit amplifies the study’s findings, alleging that the cookies contain these harmful products. The suit also claims that the Girl Scouts made false claims about the safety and quantity of the cookies in marketing and packaging. Mayo and other plaintiffs argued that they would have never purchased the cookies if they knew what they contained.

In the lawsuit, Mayo claims that the Girl Scouts violated consumer protection laws to benefit from cookie sales. The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages from buyers and an injunction to fix the packaging.

Since the lawsuit, the Girl Scouts have addressed the lawsuit.

“The health and safety of Girl Scouts and cookie customers is our top priority,” said the company. “Rest assured: Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume.”

Girl Scouts also said that a trace amount of glyphosate can be found in other foods, such as vegetables, as it is commonly used in mass agriculture in accordance with EPA and FDA regulations.

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