Girl Scouts Search for Sustainable Palm Oil for Cookies

The Girl Scouts of the USA are working on a new merit badge: sustainability.

The Girl Scouts’ use of palm oil in the cookies they sell annually has become a topic of debate recently, with experts advising that the oil commonly used in these cookies and many other processed foods can be harmful to the environment because sourcing it causes deforestation. Every one of the sixteen varieties of Girl Scout cookies available contain palm oil, but official Girl Scout cookie bakeries ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers have made a commitment to sustainability, Amanda Hamaker, manager of national products, said.

According to Time Magazine, awareness around the use of palm oil in the iconic cookies came from none other than a couple of Girl Scouts. While researching Jane Goodall’s work with primates, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen discovered that the use of palm oil can contribute to harming the environment of the orangutan.

“Being a Girl Scout is about showing stewardship for the land. We knew we had to keep fighting,” Vorva told Time.

The active interest of these Scouts is the sustainable practice of sourcing palm oil. Little Brownie Bakers has joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which ensures that the growing and buying of palm oil will be done without harming the environment.

“In most of the countries (growers) would just go in there and cause deforestation, which  created global warming. We’re still giving the customers the cookies they expect but we’re going to change the world without taking from it,” said Barbara Mitchell, director of product sales in Western Oklahoma.

The Girl Scouts of the USA will only buy from growers who have sourced the palm oil in a sustainable way, by selecting a section of the environment rather than gathering at random and causing detrimental harm, like deforestation, Mitchell said. Bakers are considering other options besides palm oil, such as blended oils or experimenting with alternative products.

Palm oils are used frequently in processed foods, which can be unhealthy. However, Girl Scout cookies are now promoting trans fat free and zero trans fat cookies in several of the cookie varieties.   “We can’t get all of the trans fats out of things like chocolate and peanut butter, which have natural trans fats in them. But what people need to remember is that it is a cookie. It is not meant to be a meal,” Mitchell said.

Cookie buyers need to closely examine the Girl Scout cookie box labels. Because there are two bakery companies that manufacture the cookies, the nutritional values are slightly different depending on which company produced the box you bought.

The bakeries continue to look at consumer trends to evaluate which types of cookies should be sold. As of right now, healthier options, like gluten-free or vegan cookies, are not in the plans because these specialty varieties have higher costs than the traditional flavors, Hamaker said.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Colette N.

8:56PM PDT on Mar 28, 2012

Keep this alive...Rhiannon and Madison are still fighting the GSOA even now... help support the two girls

These two girls are on the right track... they have worked on this project for over 5 years and done a lot of research... (a lot more than I'll bet the Girl Scout organisation has done). Give them a chance to speak...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kCEbUFl11tw#!

Here is a Feb, 2012 update...
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/palm-oil-and-scout-cookies-the-battle-drags-on/

and another petition put out by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the two girls...
https://secure3.convio.net/ucs/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&cmd=display&page=ActionAlertTakenPage&id=3217

send a green star

Elizabeth M.

12:55PM PST on Feb 25, 2012

Keep up your fight Girl Scouts!!

G C.

3:04PM PST on Feb 22, 2012

Palm oil is one thing, but the GMO ingredients found in every cookie is another. GMO Soybean oil and/or soy lecithin is grossly overused in many food products. Just look at a pack of gum.

New G.

12:25AM PST on Feb 15, 2012

Thank you.

Ann F.

3:53PM PST on Feb 14, 2012

As a ex Brownie (UK) and ex Brownie leader (Australia) I think it is terrific that the USA Guide movement has made this stand. I just looked on the pack of Guide biscuits I have (Australia) in the cupboard & the list of ingredients dosn't have palm oil. Both the Scout & Guide movement through out the world do a trrific job.

Lost A.

11:48PM PST on Feb 13, 2012

I suddenly am in the mood for some "Thin Mints!"

Duane B.

10:13AM PDT on Oct 24, 2011

Thank you for the information.

Michela M.

11:48AM PDT on Sep 17, 2011

for Petitions for Orangutans, Sumatran Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Rainforests, Global Warming, and Info about Wildlife and Deforestation in Southeast Asia, please JOIN Group ORANGUTANS: Men of the Forest
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Michela
Do it FOR: Orangutans, Sumatran Tigers (only 300 left on Earth!!!! Java and Bali Tigers already EXTINCT!!!), Elephants, Rhinos, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Indigenous People, Rainforests in Southeast Asia, our Children and Grandchildren… AGAINST: Deforestation, Corporate Control, Global Warming, Illegal Logging, Pet Trade

11:47AM PDT on Sep 17, 2011

Shar W.

9:40PM PDT on Aug 21, 2011

Good to see a step in the right direction, and I've no doubt that improvements will continue to be made. :-)

On a lighter note, a comedy movie moment:

Girl Scout: "Is this made from real lemons?" [The lemonade.]
Wednesday Addams: "Yes."
Girl Scout: "I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?"
Pugsley Addams: "Yes."
Girl Scout: "Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?"
Wednesday Addams: "Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101272/quotes