Are the Girl Scouts out to get us all?
That’s a silly question… right? It’s honestly tough to say one way or the other, as new studies have shown that the cookies that we all love to buy this time of the year might be full of toxic chemicals. And the timing couldn’t be worse for the Girl Scouts, who typically sell their iconic “Thin Mints” and “Peanut Butter Patties” in the beginning of the year and into the spring to help raise money.
To be honest, it’s the only table set up outside of a grocery store that I’ll stop and investigate. There’s nothing like cracking open a box of Girl Scout cookies for the first time in a long time, and typically, when you see them for sale, you’ve got to jump on them. I’ve been known to buy Thin Mints in bulk.
But I might be changing my tune about the delicious cookies, and a lot of other people are in the same boat as I am. The alarm bells started ringing around the Girl Scouts during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. The podcast host and actor Woody Harrelson talked about anything and everything (typical for an episode of JRE). After talking about the safety of modern medicine for a while, the topic turned to something that Rogan had read about recently.
And it had to do with Girl Scout cookies:
“I was reading a study on Girl Scout cookies, where they break them down and find out what’s in them. Holy sh*t, they’re f**king toxic as f**k. There’s so many bad (ingredients)…
Thin mints being the worst of the offenders. Five flavors of Girl Scout cookies contained levels of glyphosate and heavy metals above EPA water safety limits. The new investigation found 100% of Girl Scout cookies glyphosate, the controversial herbicide found in Round-Up. 88% contained toxic metals like arsenic, lead and mercury.”
This settles it. Never eating Girl Scout Cookies again.
pic.twitter.com/DAFjEylwTF
— Bradley Productions (@productions86) March 10, 2025
Thin Mints are the worst? That’s terrible news, considering that’s my go-to flavor…
Rogan went on to explain why the Thin Mints are the worst, and to say that I’m sitting here shocked about all of this would be an understatement:
“Thin Mints had the highest glyphosate levels at 111.07 PPB (parts per billion)… 334 times the level of what experts say are harmful.”
Not the Thin Mints. Take the Do-Si-Dos away if you have to, but finding out that my beloved Thin Mints are allegedly the most toxic of them all feels like a punch to the gut. Ironically enough, a literal punch to the gut would apparently be better for you than eating any of these Girl Scout cookies.
And speaking of gut punches, the Girl Scouts are now facing a class action lawsuit in the federal courts of New York. The non-profit organization and the licensed bakers of their beloved cookies (ABC Bakers & Ferrero USA’s Little Brownie Bakers) are being sued, and the studies that Joe Rogan brought attention to are being cited.
The lawsuit brought some heat when they said this in the claim:
“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.”
What a bar…
The Girl Scout cookie is empire is one that’s worth around $800 million. No one can move cookies like the Girl Scouts, though I’d figure their sales might drop a bit with the Joe Rogan episode and the lawsuit they know face. The Girl Scouts of USA have yet to respond to the lawsuit, but they have provided some commentary on the growing concern, and let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly encouraging:
“A recent report claimed that our Girl Scout Cookies contain certain levels of glyphosate and heavy metals. We want to address these allegations and share the facts: Girl Scout Cookies are made with ingredients that adhere to food safety standards set by the FDA and other relevant authorities.
Our trusted bakers remain committed to compliance with all food safety standards and regulations set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other relevant health authorities. These standards ensure that food products are safe for consumption. As a result, Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume and are manufactured in accordance with all food safety regulations.”
They went on to say that basically any farmed product has some level of glyphosate and other toxic heavy metals in it:
“Environmental contaminants—which can include heavy metals— can occur naturally in soil. This means that nearly all foods using plant-based ingredients, including organic foods, may contain trace amounts. This does not mean that these foods are harmful to consume.
Glyphosate is widely used in agriculture in accordance with established EPA standards and is found nearly everywhere in the food chain. Trace amounts of glyphosate can be found in fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, baked goods, and other food and beverage commodities.”
Maybe the “established EPA standards” are the problem then? Seems like a big mess for the Girl Scouts, and I’d hate to see what happens to their cookie sales if the lawsuit against them favors the claimant…
The post After Viral Joe Rogan Clip, Girl Scouts Are Now Being Sued Over Claims That Cookies Contain Pesticides & Heavy Metals first appeared on Whiskey Riff.