Health experts say the cookies are safe. And we share our favorites!
The typically tranquil spring ritual of green-clad Girl Scouts selling Samoas and Thin Mints has been rocked by drama this year.
Queens resident Amy Mayo filed a class action lawsuit in federal court this week claiming the three boxes of cookies she bought were contaminated with heavy metals that included aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
The lawsuit was based on research conducted by GMOScience and Moms Across America, which claims the testing was conducted on 13 different types of Girl Scout Cookies collected in the middle-to-latter portions of 2024 from California, Iowa, and Louisiana. The study — which has not been peer reviewed, but gained attention on TikTok — claimed 100% of the samples were positive for toxic metals.
According to the fact-checking outlet Snopes, the heavy metals allegedly detected within the cookies were “at levels well within” guidelines set by U.S. regulators. The outlet, citing public health experts who examined the study, went on to say that a child would need to consume thousands upon thousands of cookies per day to get close to “harmful levels.”
In a general post on environmental contaminants that’s unrelated to the lawsuit, the FDA said it prioritizes arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury “due to their potential to cause harm during times of active brain development—in the womb through early childhood.” These heavy metals can “occur naturally in the environment and are often at higher levels from past industrial uses and pollution,” the FDA wrote.
Adding to the intrigue, Mayo quietly withdrew from her lawsuit this week. However, the case still remains active with other plaintiffs. Mayo’s lawyers did not respond to a Quartz request for comment as to why she withdrew.
Meanwhile, the Girl Scouts of the USA have refuted the allegations.
As the lawsuit plays out, and in the spirit of the Spring cookie season, we are ranking our favorite Girl Scout cookies.
Who can resist these cookies, which are described as crisp with caramel, coconut, and chocolaty stripes ? Apparently, no one at Quartz, because this — by our informal newsroom poll — is the lead cookie. In hindsight, maybe they also sport a pleasant metallic zing?
These iconic cookies scored high in the newsroom. These are crisp, chocolate cookies dipped in a delicious, mint-chocolaty coating. Quartz executive editor, Sarah Douglass, recommends storing them in the freezer. (Pro tip: Don’t do what this writer did and store them on your kitchen window sill in the sun.)
The voting gets a little murkier after the first two, but a timeless shortbread dubbed Trefoils appears to occupy a definite place of fondness among Quartz staffers and the American public.
Fun fact: In French, “tre foils” translates to three foils!
These magnetic icing-topped round shortbread wonders also received a fair share of votes among Quartz staffers. They’re a refreshing, magnetic cookie as warmer weather approaches.
This oatmeal-peanut butter cookie didn’t garner a ton of votes, but it has its devoted following.
This is a peanut-butter patty drenched in chocolate — and drenched with fandom in the Quartz newsroom. This whole poll is given more credibility by the fact that one of our own — reporter Madeline Fitzgerald — was once a Girl Scout (once a scout, always a scout?) who says she always got the prize for selling the most cookies. She leavened her achievement with modesty: “but it was primarily because when we sold them at the grocery store or whatever,” Fitzgerald said.
This peculiar treat garnered one lonely vote, but if more people tried it — billed as an indulgent, brownie-inspired cookie topped with caramel-flavored crème with a hint of sea salt — it might have gotten more votes!
Rounding out the list, how can you go wrong with S’mores?
Lemon-Ups, Toast-Yays, Toffee-tastic, and Caramel Chocolate Chip — you didn’t make the cut, but perhaps Quartz reporters will indulge in some additional “research” to gauge whether those flavors are worthy of inclusion next time there’s a lawsuit.
