I was somewhat reluctant to delve into America’s favorite overpriced cookies, because it always seems to be an off limits topic. The Girl Scouts of America has become a part of so many young girl’s lives. I, myself, was a brownie and my mom was cookie mom. The organization’s mission is to build girls confidence and character among other things. For these reasons, it seems all of a Girl Scout’s efforts must be supported, including the door to door sale of cookies. But just because the Girl Scouts do some things right, should we turn a blind eye to their biggest fundraiser, Girl Scout cookies?
The Girl Scouts of America organization thinks so. The Girl Scout cookie website (yes, there is a website just for the cookies) boldly claims:
There’s more to Girl Scout Cookies than what’s in the box. When a Girl Scout sells you cookies, she’s building a lifetime of skills and confidence.
That’s great, but what is also in the box is a processed cookie with harmful ingredients that seems like it should’ve made the list of processed foods to avoid. I focused on the ingredients of the top 5 flavors, from both ABC and Little Brownie Bakers, the makers of Girl Scout cookies. Those best selling cookies are:
- Thin Mints
- Samoas (Caramel deLites)
- Do-Si-Dos (Peanut Butter Sandwiches)
- Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties)
- Trefoils (Shortbread Cookies)
Wrapped up in that box of nostalgia I found carcinogens, GMOs, and more. Here are the 7 most concerning ingredients.
Table of Contents
High Fructose Corn Syrup
The dangers of HFCS have been talked about in depth over the years. It is a cheaper alternative to cane sugar as a result of government subsidies for corn crops. In 2014, 93% of corn grown was genetically modified. Even “when used in moderation, it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay and more” states Mark Hyman, MD. He goes on to point out an added danger of HFCS, mercury. Some samples of high fructose corn syrup contained toxic levels of mercury due to chlor-alkali products used in the manufacturing process.
GMO Sugar
If you see “sugar” on the label, it’s important to know it’s not the same white table sugar in your pantry. On an ingredient list, this indicates the sugar is from sugar beets. Almost 95% of the sugar beets grown are genetically engineered. These GMO beets are Round Up Ready crops, which means they are resistant to the chemical herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round Up. Why is this a concern? Round Up Ready crops can be sprayed with high levels of glyphosate, a chemical the WHO just labeled days ago as probably carcinogenic to humans.
Vegetable Shortening/Vegetable Oil
Depending on which bakery made your cookies, you will find either vegetable shortening or vegetable oil in the ingredients. These can contain a blend of palm oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. Palm oil is destroying the rainforest, and despite the pretty RSPO logo on each box of girl scout cookies stating their palm oil is sustainable, it’s still wreaking havoc. Animals are losing their habitat and starving from the depletion of the rainforest at the hands of RSPO certified plantations.
Aside from the ecological and environmental impact of palm oil, there are also health risks. Girl Scout cookies contain partially hydrogenated oils. These oils are the main dietary source of trans fats, which the FDA warns against. Trans fats raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increase the risk of heart disease.
Soybean and cottonseed oil are from genetically modified sources. As mentioned earlier in the article, glyphosate, the herbicide heavily sprayed on GMO crops is now a suspected carcinogen. GMOs are also linked to obesity. In an international study, rats fed GMO diets grew fatter than the control group fed only non GMO foods. Salmon fed GMOs experienced similar results.
Caramel Color
Thin Mints contain caramel color, which has been shown to cause lung cancer in mice with longterm exposure. The National Center for Biotechnology Information warns that caramel color can have adverse affects on the immune system. Caramel color is also a concern because it contains ammonia and sulfites. When carbohydrates with ammonia are processed at high temperatures a toxic byproduct, known as 4-MeI, is produced. 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI), has been linked to convulsions and an increased incidence of cancer in animal testing.
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a thickening agent often found in processed foods. It has gained negative attention because animals have shown gastrointestinal inflammation, intestinal lesions, ulcers, and malignant tumors after consuming carrageenan. It’s also often an indicator of MSG when carrageenan is on the ingredient list. Research on monosodium glutamate (MSG) shows it can cause obesity, intestinal issues, migraines, skin rashes and brain damage.
Enriched Flour
This ingredient is in all of the top five flavors of Girl Scout cookies I looked at. It’s the flour of choice, because it prolongs shelf life. Enriched flour is fortified with added nutrients because the natural nutrients were stripped away in processing. This leaves the enriched flour with nutrients, such as iron, that our bodies can’t fully absorb. In addition, foods fortified with folic acid, like enriched flour, are now linked to cancer. Whole grains are a much safer, and healthier option.
The processed wheat in enriched flour is also digested by the body quicker after fiber and nutrients are removed. This is actually making your fat! The stripped down wheat breaks down faster and quickly raises blood sugar in the process. The liver then must metabolize the excess sugar, storing some of it as fat.
Natural and Artificial Flavors
Did you know there is no regulation on the term “natural?” Despite the label helping $40 billion in food sell each year in America, it means absolutely nothing. It is also another ingredient that can contain MSG. The term “artificial flavors” is almost as ambiguous. They can contain hundreds of chemicals. Artificial flavors can cause allergic reactions and behavioral issues in children.
Credit must be given to the Girl Scout’s for in fact teaching girls to make the world a better place. Many of their own young members are fighting to change these cookies. Back in 2008 two middle schoolers protested the use of palm oil in the fundraising treat. Now another young girl scout is spearheading a petition to remove GMOs from Girl Scout cookies. You can sign the petition to support the removal of GMOs from Girl Scout cookies and tell the Girl Scouts of America you want to see them make this change in the right direction.
Is it time for the Girl Scouts of America to stop selling sugary sweets to fundraise? Maybe we should teach young girls about health and what’s in our food along with those other life skills the Girl Scouts are learning.
Deadly Scent: Toxic Perfume Chemicals
The problem with girl scout cookies is not only that they are full of crap, they’re nasty. I can’t stand them. Gross!!!!!!
Good news is they just came out with a nonGMO version of a couple of cookies. They aren’t available all over the US, but in certain areas. That’s good news because it means they are listening to moms.
As a girl scout I find that very offending!!!!! Do you realize one of my fellow girl scout overheard a group of adault talking about how they heate girl scout cookies and that they´re gross and she threatened to kill herself!!! You should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!
A little girl decided to kill herself because she couldn’t process how some people don’t like the cookies? I’m sorry. I’m finding that hard to believe.
A girl scout wanting to kill herself over what she hears others saying (especially if it is the truth) has SERIOUS psychological issues that have little to do with what others say. Either she has deep depression rooted in her family history or she is bullied, or she has developmental problems of various sources, or she is incredibly spoiled and manipulative. She needs professional help, not people buying her cookies.
You realize with a girl working so hard to sell the cookies just for someone to say Hey your cookies are gross! is one reason and i’ll tell you every girl gets bullied because people think girls are worthless and some including myself go to girl scouts to be them selves and most of them be them selves when selling cookies but when someone says there gross she takes the blame because that’s what most girls our taught so that gets her afraid to be herself and when she adds up the clues she thinks well this was the only reason I thought I should exist so now no one needs me and getting professional help is difficult and costs a lot of money
Give me a break. I find it offensive that you think it’s ok to sell those to people instead of wanting to take the harmful ingredients out. What’s that say about you? And I find it highly doubtful that any girl would want to kill herself after she overheard some adults saying they hate gs cookies and think they’re gross. If anyone believes that they are just as retarded as you are. The right thing to do would be to educate yourself and your girls on these ingredients, then demand that these things be taken out of the cookies. Goodness this has got to be one of the most ignorant comments I’ve read in a while and I read a lot of ignorant comments.
FIrst, it is Girls Scouts of the USA, not Girl Scouts of America. If you are going to critisize an organization, the least you could do is get the name correct. Especially since you went to the website for your information.
As a mom who is embarking on a whole foods lifestyle with my family, and as a Girl Scout leader, I am disappointed in this post. Yes, there are ingredients that are not good for you, but I challenge you to find any fundraiser that any group does that is completely healthy. When we have customers who can’t, won’t or don’t eat the cookies, we thank them and ask if they would like to donate to our gift of caring program. No one is forcing you to eat the cookies.
This program is the main financial fundraiser for many Girl Scout troops. Without these funds, many girls won’t get a chance to experience all that Girl Scouts can offer. It really is so much more than the cookie. The girls learn business skills and public relations skills. They learn budgeting and organizational skills. The point of any fundraiser is to support the group that is trying hard to raise those funds.
The next time you see a Girl Scout out there selling cookies, go up to them and ask them what their plans are for their cookie proceeds. You will find girls excited to tell you that they are going camping (healthy outdoor activities), donating food to the homeless shelter (making the world a better place), creating care packages for the children’s hospital, for children undergoing cancer treatment (considerate and caring), or creating gift baskets with toys, food, etc, and a how to pamplet on caring for your newly adopted pet, to be donated to the local animal shelter (my own troop’s Bronze Award, something they are very passionate about). These girls live the Girl Scout Law every day, in their actions. It would do the world some good to also live by the Girl Scout Law. I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Are the cookies bad for you? Depends on if you eat one or two or a whole sleeve/box. Everything in moderation, including healthy food. Are the girls doing great things with the proceeds from this program? Absolutely, and that is the point of it all anyway.
what the hell does it matter. Stop arguing over the internet and move on with your live….
I am with girlies changing or omitting some ingredients from cookies. Cookies are to expensive to make you sick trying to help an organization.
Bitch no one cares what the proceeds go to if they have chemicals in them
FIrst, it is Girls Scouts of the USA, not Girl Scouts of America. If you are going to critisize an organization, the least you could do is get the name correct. Especially since you went to the website for your information.
As a mom who is embarking on a whole foods lifestyle with my family, and as a Girl Scout leader, I am disappointed in this post. Yes, there are ingredients that are not good for you, but I challenge you to find any fundraiser that any group does that is completely healthy. When we have customers who can’t, won’t or don’t eat the cookies, we thank them and ask if they would like to donate to our gift of caring program. No one is forcing you to eat the cookies.
This program is the main financial fundraiser for many Girl Scout troops. Without these funds, many girls won’t get a chance to experience all that Girl Scouts can offer. It really is so much more than the cookie. The girls learn business skills and public relations skills. They learn budgeting and organizational skills. The point of any fundraiser is to support the group that is trying hard to raise those funds.
The next time you see a Girl Scout out there selling cookies, go up to them and ask them what their plans are for their cookie proceeds. You will find girls excited to tell you that they are going camping (healthy outdoor activities), donating food to the homeless shelter (making the world a better place), creating care packages for the children’s hospital, for children undergoing cancer treatment (considerate and caring), or creating gift baskets with toys, food, etc, and a how to pamplet on caring for your newly adopted pet, to be donated to the local animal shelter (my own troop’s Bronze Award, something they are very passionate about). These girls live the Girl Scout Law every day, in their actions. It would do the world some good to also live by the Girl Scout Law. I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Are the cookies bad for you? Depends on if you eat one or two or a whole sleeve/box. Everything in moderation, including healthy food. Are the girls doing great things with the proceeds from this program? Absolutely, and that is the point of it all anyway.
Looks like you’re drinking the Kool-Aid to go along with those cookies. Yikes.
Good for you. She really drink that Kool Aide. You are right though. I use to be a scout and its 2017 it’s time for change.
I was a leader for many years, cookie mom or SU cookie chair for quite a few years, mother of 2 girls in GS for many years. I totally agree that GS does a world of good for all girls – especially those who don’t have opportunities to go camping, to museums, etc without Scouts. They do learn so many things that help them to be better adults. I wish the cookies were healthier tho!
As a troop leader and mother of a Junior Girl Scout, I encourage anyone that is worried about the possible health risks associated with the consumption of Girl Scout Cookies to reach out to the organization and voice your concerns. I feel that our girls are being sold out for the almighty dollar in regards to the profit received per box for the troop as well as all of the newly branded/licensed products that in no way benefit the troops (at least to my knowledge). During our booth sales, we encouraged any one not interested in purchasing cookies to donate whatever they could to the troop. Donations ranged from spare change all the way up to $10. Our troop uses the money from fall product sales, cookie sales and donations to perform community service, supplement registration fees and uniform costs, earn skill and interest badges, and to go on field trips and camping. This organization can be great again if we can get back to the root of what Juliette Gordon Low envisioned when she began the Girl Scouts.
Leah, thanks, this is very good advice and well-articulated. I am not thrilled about being pressured into buying genetically modified, partially hydrogenated sweets just because I support scouting. I doubt I’ll directly contact Girl Scouts of USA to express my preference for a less damaging way to support Girl Scouts, but I will gladly donate money to my local scouts. I do understand the long-cultured fondness for selling cookies, but as this blog thoroughly summarizes, the ingredients for those cookies are not the same ingredients our grandmothers used in their cookies.
Why are people so mean?!!!
I get it. My kids cannot eat artificial colors flavors or preservatives. I have 3 girl scouts. We sell cookies. I let them have few. But saying that attacking the Girl scouts or GS cookies is off limits is just untrue. It seems like lots of groups want to attack the GS cookies and organization.
I find these things petty. When I buy pizza from the school band or frozen cookies from 4-H or braid braid from the dance team or what ever food from what ever group need to do whatever project, I am not looking to buy health food. I am supporting a kid.
Would I love all this food to be all natural – you betch ya. Am I going to attack it because it is not – no.
GS doesn’t claim their cookies are all natural. Whole Foods does. But it is not.
I just think this is so petty:-(
We no longer buy any of the Girl Scout cookies because of the artificial, GMO’s and other unhealthy ingredients. I would love to support the cause and these young women who are learning valuable skills, but I will not eat cookies which are dangerous to my health!
We no longer buy any of the Girl Scout cookies because of the artificial, GMO’s and other unhealthy ingredients. I would love to support the cause and these young women who are learning valuable skills, but I will not eat cookies which are dangerous to my health!
We no longer buy any of the Girl Scout cookies because of the artificial, GMO’s and other unhealthy ingredients. I would love to support the cause and these young women who are learning valuable skills, but I will not eat cookies which are dangerous to my health!