Girl Scout Cookies Lawsuit Alleges Treats Contain ‘Problematic’ Levels of Toxic Weed Killer, Heavy Metals

A proposed class action lawsuit alleges certain Girl Scout Cookies are contaminated with "extremely problematic" levels of the pesticide glyphosate and harmful heavy metals.

The 35-page lawsuit was filed in the wake of a December 2024 report published by GMOScience, which detailed test results on 13 varieties of Girl Scout Cookies sourced from California, Iowa and Louisiana. According to the report, 100 percent of the samples tested positive for glyphosate—a herbicide associated with adverse health effects such as cancer, neurological disorders, endocrine disruption, reproductive problems and gut issues.

In addition, the study, commissioned by GMOScience, Moms Across America and other consumer groups, found toxic heavy metals—including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, or mercury—in every sample tested, with 88 percent of the samples containing all five of the dangerous substances, the case relays.

The complaint, filed against Girl Scouts of the USA and its baking partners Ferrero and ABC Bakers, alleges the ubiquitous cookies contain contaminates at levels that far exceed certain limits set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other health authorities.

Rather than recall the products and improve food processing practices, the defendants have continued to market Girl Scout Cookies as safe for consumption and made with high-quality ingredients, the class action suit says. In fact, Girl Scouts has gone so far as to explicitly deny the results of GMOScience’s testing, stating in a February 2025 blog post that the treats “are safe to consume and are manufactured in accordance with all food safety regulations,” the suit shares.

“With colorful designs, fun product names and the fact that Girl Scout Cookies are literally sold by children themselves, Girl Scouts know that its target demographic for consumption is children,” the Girl Scout Cookie lawsuit asserts. “Parents who buy the Products are under the impression that Girl Scouts, a non-profit organization which is supposed to uphold and teach business ethics to children, would only sell Girl Scout Cookies to be consumed by children if it knew that the Products were safe for consumption.”

The class action suit contends that consumers would have been unwilling to purchase Girl Scout Cookies, or would have paid less for them, had they known the products contain, or risk containing, significant amounts of harmful substances.

Scout’s honor? Defendants overlook consumer safety, lawsuit says

The complaint claims the potential contamination of Girl Scout Cookies stems from the defendants’ failure to monitor and eliminate toxins that find their way into the food supply.

The GMOScience report says that glyphosate and heavy metals, though not listed as ingredients on Girl Scout Cookie packaging, may be inadvertently added to the products through unsafe farming practices or during processing. Indeed, the case alleges producers of ultra-processed foods like Girl Scout Cookies often skirt FDA-mandated food safety practices and use a substantial amount of chemicals to maximize production rates.

At the earliest stages of production, raw ingredients can become contaminated with metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury from polluted water, air and soil, the lawsuit explains. Cancer-causing pesticides and herbicides are often sprayed on crops, and hazardous chemicals may be used to sanitize and package foods, the filing says.

Per the case, Congress stated in a 2021 report that it is entirely possible for processors to appropriately source raw materials to avoid elevated levels of lead and other toxins in sugar-based and chocolate-covered products.

“Girl Scouts, however, chooses not to weed out the presence of the Toxins even when faced with the testing presented to them by GMOScience in December of 2024,” the complaint contends.

According to GMOScience, the tested Girl Scout Cookies contained glyphosate at levels that were, on average, “334 times higher than what Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus of Purdue, states is harmful and must be avoided.” Thin Mints showed the highest levels of glyphosate, and Peanut Butter Patties contained the highest levels of heavy metals, the report states.

“As discussed, these Toxins are highly dangerous, especially to children,” the suit contends.

The 2021 Congressional report notes that exposure to toxic heavy metals can cause “irreversible damage to brain development” for children, including permanent decreases in IQ and increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behavior.

Who’s covered by the Girl Scout Cookies lawsuit?

The Girl Scout Cookies class action lawsuit looks to represent all United States residents who, within the applicable statute of limitations period, bought Girl Scout Cookies, including, but not limited to, the following varieties:

How do I join the Girl Scout Cookies class action lawsuit?

In general, there’s nothing you need to do to join, be added to, or make sure you’re included in the Girl Scout Cookies lawsuit.

If the case proceeds and eventually resolves with a class action settlement, the people who are covered by the case, who are called “class members,” would be notified of the deal and given instructions on how to claim their share.

Keep in mind that class action suits can take time to resolve, sometimes months or years, and there is no guarantee as to their success.

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