Girl Scouts class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Two consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Ferrero U.S.A. Inc. and Interbake Foods LLC.
- Why: The plaintiffs claim the Girl Scout cookies are contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides.
- Where: The Girl Scouts class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
A new Girl Scouts class action lawsuit alleges the organization’s cookies are contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides.
Plaintiffs Danielle Barbaro and Judy Cholewa filed the class action complaint against Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Ferrero U.S.A. Inc. and Interbake Foods LLC on March 11 in New York federal court, alleging violations of state statutes and common law.
According to the lawsuit, the cookies contain heavy metals, such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, as well as pesticides, including glyphosate.
The plaintiffs claim the Girl Scouts, Ferrero and Interbake Foods, which is also known as ABC Bakers, have misled consumers about the safety and quality of the cookies.
The cookies are sold by Girl Scouts members, primarily children, and marketed to children and young adults.
Girl Scouts knew about contamination, lawsuit alleges
The plaintiffs say the Girl Scouts and the bakers made false and misleading representations about the cookies on their websites, such as “We trust our licensed bakers, who are industry leaders, to produce the best-tasting and highest-quality cookies” and “The First in Top-Quality Ingredients.”
However, the plaintiffs allege that extensive testing conducted in late 2024 found that 100% of the cookies contained at least four out of five heavy metals, and 76% of the cookies tested positive for levels of cadmium that exceeded Environmental Protection Agency limits in water.
The lawsuit claims that 96% of the cookies contained lead, and Thin Mints contained 334 times more glyphosate than is commonly accepted by scientists in the field.
The plaintiffs allege that the Girl Scouts failed to address the contamination concerns raised by the testing and did not recall the cookies.
Instead, the plaintiffs say Girl Scouts published a blog post on Feb. 6, 2025, claiming that the cookies are safe to consume and comply with food safety standards set by the Food and Drug Administration and other authorities.
The plaintiffs are looking to represent anyone in the United States who bought the cookies and are suing for violations of New York consumer protection laws and unjust enrichment. They are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
In other news, Celtic Ocean International LLC is currently facing class action allegations that it also tried to cover up heavy metal contamination of its Celtic Sea Salt products.
What do you think of the allegations in this Girl Scouts class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Jeffrey K. Brown and Blake Hunter Yagman of Leeds Brown Law P.C.The Girl Scouts class action lawsuit is Barbaro, et al. v. Girl Scouts of the United States of America, et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-01367-PK, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
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94 thoughts onClass action claims Girl Scout cookies contain heavy metals, pesticides
My wife ate the abundance of girl scout cookies in the year of 2021 Twenty one and our daughter had autism
I buy them every year at a stand out side walmart
Please add me.
Please add me
add me
I have always bought Girl Scout cookies every year
I still have a box in my frig.
Wow Wow!
I first learned about this data from a Joe Rogan clip. Much respect for free speech because it allows us as consumers to make informed decisions based on our own research.
This is highly concerning nutritional information re GS cookies. I have several sleeves of thin mints in the freezer which wont be touched until I can submit them for further research.
Disheartening and concerning news, to say the least
As a previous Girl Scout, I am appalled and disappointed at this. I joined Girl Scouts at a very young age and I signed up to sell cookies but had no idea of the amount of harmful ingredients they had. My family and I consumed them various times over the years!