The Lady Scouts have been sued by shoppers over the alleged presence of “heavy metals” and pesticides in its common Skinny Mints and different cookies.
A proposed class motion was filed on Monday night time within the Brooklyn, NY, federal court docket towards the 113-year-old nonprofit and the cookies’ licensed producers, ABC Bakers and Ferrero USA’s Little Brownie Bakers.
It cited a December 2024 examine commissioned by GMO Science and Mothers Throughout America, which examined samples of 25 cookies from three states.
The examine stated Lady Scout cookies contained at the least 4 of 5 heavy metals — aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury — that may hurt folks’s well being or the surroundings, typically at ranges exceeding regulators’ advisable limits.
It additionally stated all samples contained glyphosate, a pesticide utilized in some weed killers, with Skinny Mints containing the very best ranges.
“Whereas the complete gross sales apply system for Lady Scout Cookies is constructed on a basis of ethics and instructing younger ladies sustainable enterprise practices, defendants did not uphold this customary themselves,” the lawsuit stated.
The defendants didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Lady Scouts, brief for Lady Scouts of the USA of America, addressed the examine in a Feb. 6 weblog publish.
It stated heavy metals happen naturally in soil, with hint quantities not a security subject, whereas glyphosate is discovered “practically in every single place” within the meals chain. Lady Scouts additionally stated its bakers are dedicated to complying with all meals security requirements.
“The well being and security of Lady Scouts and cookie clients is our high precedence,” the New York-based nonprofit stated. “Relaxation assured: Lady Scout Cookies are secure to devour.”
Cookies are bought by registered Lady Scouts from January to April, with internet proceeds supporting councils and native troops.
The lawsuit is led by Amy Mayo, a resident of Bayside, NY.
Mayo stated she purchased quite a few Lady Scout merchandise similar to Adventurefuls, Peanut Butter Patties and Caramel deLites, believing they had been “high quality and secure cookies.”
She stated she wouldn’t have purchased the cookies or “would have paid considerably much less” had Lady Scouts disclosed the presence of “harmful toxins.”
The lawsuit seeks at the least $5 million in damages for US cookie purchasers, for alleged violations of New York shopper safety legal guidelines.
A number of chocolate makers together with Hershey confronted lawsuits after Client Reviews in December 2022 discovered elevated ranges of cadmium, lead or each of their merchandise.
The case is Mayo v Lady Scouts of the USA of America et al, U.S. District Court docket, Japanese District of New York, No. 25-01367.