Lawsuit Claims Girl Scouts Cookies Contain Heavy Metals and Pesticides

March 11, 2025 TruthUSA

A class action lawsuit has been filed in federal court, asserting that the Girl Scouts’ cookies comply with FDA regulations.

According to a newly filed lawsuit, the Girl Scouts are alleged to have breached laws by selling cookies that contain hazardous heavy metals and pesticides.

The lawsuit claims that the cookies “contain toxic heavy metals, including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury … as well as pesticides like glyphosate,” as detailed in the legal complaint, which was submitted on March 10 in a New York federal court.

The plaintiff, Amy Mayo, is seeking class action certification for the case.

Mayo states that she has purchased Girl Scout cookies multiple times, including three boxes on January 23.

The lawsuit references a study from the consumer group GMOScience, which identified heavy metals and pesticides in the cookies distributed by the Girl Scouts.

In a blog post from February, the Girl Scouts stated that their cookies “are crafted with ingredients that comply with food safety standards established by the FDA and other applicable authorities.”

The organization noted that nearly all food products could contain trace levels of contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides, including glyphosate.

“Our bakers have confirmed that the levels reported do not pose any safety risk to our customers,” the organization stated.

Mayo mentioned that further testing revealed the presence of toxins like lead and mercury in the cookies.

“When Plaintiff Mayo, like other Class members, purchased the Products, which were made in the same facilities as the other contested Products, she believed she was acquiring quality and safe cookies that aligned with the Girl Scouts’ commitment to ethical business practices and the claims made on the Defendants’ websites. Unfortunately, that was not the reality,” the lawsuit claims.

“Had the Defendants accurately represented their Products and refrained from omitting critical information about the presence of toxins in their Products, Plaintiff Mayo would have been informed and would not have purchased the Products or would have paid significantly less for them.”

Mayo, a resident of New York, has sued the Girl Scouts, headquartered in New York, along with producers Ferrero and ABC Bakers.

The defendants have not yet responded to requests for comments.

Mayo is petitioning the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to approve a class of those who purchased Girl Scout cookies. She estimates that the class could encompass thousands of individuals who collectively bought nearly $1 billion worth of products.

Additionally, Mayo seeks a ruling affirming that the defendants’ actions violated consumer protection laws, along with damages and restitution for the class.

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