Thin Mints and other popular Girl Scout cookie flavors have been named in a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court on Monday. The lawsuit alleges that the cookies are “contaminated with dangerous heavy metals.”

Newsweek reached out to Girl Scouts of America and the attorneys representing the woman who filed the lawsuit via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Millions of Girl Scout cookies are sold each year, and the organization’s annual cookie-selling event can generate up to $1 billion in revenue, according to the lawsuit. This year, the Girl Scouts of America’s website lists 12 types of cookies, including longtime favorites Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, and Do-si-dos.

What to Know

The lawsuit, filed by Amy Mayo on Monday, says that the cookies are contaminated by “aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury and pesticides, including glyphosate.”

Glyphosate is an herbicide found in the herbicide Roundup.

The lawsuit targets Thin Mints, claiming that the popular cookie “contained 334 times more glyphosate than is commonly accepted by scientists in the field.”

Toast-Yay, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Adventurefuls, Trefoils, S’mores, Lemon-Ups, Toffee-tastic (Gluten Free), Do-si-dos, Samoas, and Tagalongs were also named in the lawsuit.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not recalled any Girl Scout cookies.

In early February, Girl Scouts of America issued a statement on its website assuring customers that Girl Scout cookies “are safe to consume and are manufactured in accordance with all food safety regulations.”

“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,” the statement said.

“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.”

Mayo’s lawsuit references a study completed by GMOScience and Moms Across America in December 2024 that alleges to have found “extremely concerning” results, such as 100 percent of sampled cookies testing positive for glyphosate, 100 percent testing positive for toxic metals, 76 percent testing positive for “levels of cadmium that exceed EPA limits in water,” and 96 percent of samples testing positive for lead.

The study was not peer-reviewed, had a small sample size, and wasn’t published in a scientific journal. A peer-reviewed article is written by an expert or scholar in the field and reviewed by other experts to assess its accuracy.

Despite not meeting these markers, podcaster Joe Rogan touted the study and called Girl Scout cookies “toxic” in a February podcast.

What People Are Saying

Girl Scouts of America, in a statement: “These metals are not added to our Girl Scout Cookies. While such occurrences are not unique to Girl Scout Cookies, our trusted baking partners continue to ensure the integrity of our recipes and the safety of all Girl Scout Cookie products in accordance with federal regulations and Global Food Safety initiative standards. Our bakers have confirmed that the levels reported do not pose a food safety concern to our customers.”

GMOScience’s study in December 2024: “The sale of cookies containing potentially toxic ingredients raises profound ethical and public health concerns. It is imperative for the Girl Scouts organization to confront this issue by addressing critical questions regarding their capacity and willingness to reformulate these products to ensure consumer safety.”

What Happens Next

The lawsuit demands a jury trial.