FAQ

Visit girlscoutcookies.org for information on where to buy Girl Scout Cookies, and visit your local council website to find booth sales in your area and to learn more about how the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls learn and grow.

Yes, we have five cookies made with vegan ingredients: Lemonades®, Toast-Yay!®, Thin Mints®, Peanut Butter Patties®, and Adventurefuls®. We also offer the Gluten-Free Caramel Chocolate Chip Girl Scout Cookie, which is certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, produced in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and meets a 10 parts per million standard set by the Gluten Free Certification Organization.

While our cookies made with vegan ingredients do not contain any animal product ingredients, they may be produced on equipment that is also used to produce items containing dairy ingredients.

Per FDA regulations, ABC Bakers is required to use product-specific allergen labeling, which enables the allergy-affected consumer to make an informed decision based on information specific to that particular product. For more information, please visit the FALCPA webpage posted by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration

In addition, we call out all allergens on order cards, our web site and provide extra information in regards to other allergens that may be used in our bakeries. ABC Bakers is committed to a proactive approach to effectively managing allergens in our bakeries and products

No, ABC Baker's Peanut Butter Patties®, Thin Mints®, Adventurefuls®, Toast-Yay!®, and Lemonades® do not contain a milk ingredient. However, they may be produced on equipment that is also used to produce items containing dairy ingredients.

Our bakery has written standards for each process and cookie variety, and we select the finest possible ingredients, partnering with vendors based on a specific list of criteria and specifications. Vendors are required to provide a Certificate of Analysis with every shipment of incoming raw materials.

In addition, prior to raw materials being unloaded into bulk storage units such as flour silos, a sample of the incoming raw material is tested in our Quality Assurance (QA) laboratories. In production, products are pulled systematically by QA personnel and tested to verify conformance to standards. We have developed many of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that have been implemented by the biscuit and cracker manufacturing industry, including:

• State-of-the-art electronic metal detectors on all lines
• Automated processes that minimize direct employee contact with product
• Color coding system for allergen controls
• Screening systems in storage units for bulk ingredients, including water
• Employee uniforms made of polished cotton material resistant to adherence of extraneous materials
• Blower units for removing extraneous materials from clothing prior to entering mixing, baking, and packaging areas of bakery
• Hairnets and beard covers for full head covering
• On-line check-weighers

No, while we have investigated the market for a sugar free item, demand in this niche is still too small for the Girl Scout Cookie Program. We are required to provide the amount of carbohydrates and sugars in grams on our nutrition label. Total carbohydrates on the label includes sugars, dietary fiber and other carbohydrates.

Yes, ABC Bakers uses genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, often referred to as GMO’s. Food produced from GE plants meet the same nutritional and food safety standards as foods derived from non GE plants. There is no evidence that GE plants are not safe or unhealthy. In the United States, the following crops have had their GE counterparts evaluated and approved for production and could potential be found in our products; Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Sugarbeets. For more information on the safety and approval of GE food, please see the FDA’s website

All ABC Girl Scout Cookies carry the Circle UD Kosher certification. Circle U stands for Orthodox Union, one of the larger organizations that provides kosher certification. The “D” included in the symbol signifies that the product contains dairy ingredients or is produced on equipment that may be used to produce items containing dairy ingredients.

ABC Bakers is aware of and sensitive to concerns about the sustainability of palm oil production. The world’s food supply is intricately tied to the use of palm oil, which is an ingredient found in the majority of baked snacks sold in North America. Palm oil is used in many of the products on supermarket shelves, from margarine and chocolate to ice cream, soaps and cosmetics. It’s smooth and odorless, making it an ideal ingredient for baked goods. When we eliminated trans fats from our cookies, we evaluated a number of alternatives to partially hydrogenated soybean oil. To maintain product quality, we determined that palm oil was our best alternative, and we continue to evaluate other oils.

ABC Bakers is an official member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). From 2015 to 2020, all the palm oil used in our Girl Scout cookies was sourced exclusively from RSPO members through RSPO Credits, which support sustainable palm oil production practices. In 2021, we completed the next step in our sustainable palm oil journey by elevating our certification of the palm oil used for Girl Scout Cookies to RSPO Certified Mass Balance palm oil. Working in partnership with our customers and suppliers, we continue to evolve our oil supply.

ABC Bakers sources most of our cocoa from companies who are members of the World Cocoa Foundation. These companies provide support to cocoa farmers and their families worldwide through programs that help raise farmer incomes, encourage sustainable cocoa farming and strengthen communities.

All of our Girl Scout Cookies have a recognizable date code printed on each package that indicates the date which the cookies will taste best by.

As in the retail market, gluten-free cookies are priced higher than other cookies because they cost more to produce, and to maintain a gluten-free facility. In addition, each council sets their own pricing for Girl Scout Cookies so you may find that pricing will vary from council to council.

Please visit ABC Bakers Choice section of the website to see the ABC councils with the Gluten Free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Coconut oil listed in the ingredients for GS Caramel Chocolate Chip is RBD coconut oil, which means it has been processed to the point where no detectable amounts of allergenic protein are left, and would not likely trigger an allergic reaction.

Whey is no longer an ingredient in this cookie as of this season. Provided your box of Adventurefuls are not past their use or freeze by date, they do not contain whey and are “made with vegan ingredients”. Note that FDA regulations allow for a reasonable amount of over declared packaging to be exhausted when removing an allergen. Therefore, you could have a carton that lists whey as an ingredient as a limited amount of packaging was used up at the start of the season.

No, all cookies are free from High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Each case of cookies contains 12 packages.

Our folding cartons, cookie trays, and shipping cases are recyclable. However, local recycling services vary on what materials they will accept. Please check with your local service.

ABC Bakers is delighted to be able to offer this type of cookie packaging which saves millions of cartons by ensuring a more sustainable approach to packaging on 4 items we offer. Lemonades® and Toast-Yay!® have been in plastic overwrap since their initial launch. In 2023, we added Peanut Butter Patties® and Caramel deLites® to the list. These four cookies contain only 2 types of packaging (film and plastic tray) without the carton.  

At this time ABC bakers is not planning to convert all of our items to tray with film overwrap. However, we will continue to look for ways to improve the product and packaging that we offer while supporting the Girl Scout brand.

Our cookies are manufactured in such a way that allows multiple products to be produced using the same or nearby equipment at different times which enables flexibility in manufacturing. As such, it is possible for cookies to be made on various lines. A precautionary allergen disclosure (“Made in shared facility with…”) was added to all Girl Scout Cookie packaging labels to ensure transparency about any allergens that may be present in the bakery where Girl Scout Cookies are made.