Controversy could crumble sales of Girl Scout cookies

Kim Severson, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, March 6, 2004

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...MNG4F5FR1E1.DTL

It's a tough year to be a Girl Scout.

As girls fan out across the Bay Area to sell what probably will be 2 million boxes of cookies, the sweet icon of American entrepreneurial spirit finds itself dunked in some of the nation's hottest topics -- abortion, obesity and labor relations.

And if that isn't bad enough, the low-carb craze could torpedo the century-old American tradition.

The first blow came from an anti-abortion group in Waco, Texas, that staged a Girl Scout cookie boycott last month. At issue was a summer sex-education conference for girls sponsored by Planned Parenthood and endorsed by the local Girl Scout council.

For boycott leaders, the final straw came when the local chapter named a Planned Parenthood executive as a Girl Scout "Woman of Distinction," said John Pisciotta, co-director of Pro-Life Waco and an economics professor at Baylor University.

Anti-abortion cookie lovers can breathe easier, however. Pisciotta, who aired his case on NBC's "Today Show'' on Friday, said that the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts, which oversees troops in the Waco area and 13 other counties, has agreed to sever ties with Planned Parenthood.

That means the boycott is off. Pisciotta is even going to buy some of his favorite Girl Scout cookies, the top-selling Thin Mints.

Nutritionists who are trying to help the nation trim calories and avoid dangerous trans fat might not be as pleased. The Girl Scouts' national office has received complaints because the cookies are made with plenty of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil -- think Crisco or margarine -- which the Food and Drug Administration and the nation's top medical researchers agree is the most dangerous fat in the human diet.

The artificially manufactured fat, which raises bad cholesterol, lowers good cholesterol and is suspected of interfering with the body's metabolic process, is considered so unhealthy that the FDA is forcing companies to disclose trans fat amounts on food labels by 2006.

Finding an inexpensive alternative, as food manufacturers from Kraft Foods to McDonald's are finding out, is one of the most vexing issues in the food business today.

But the intrepid Girl Scouts are trying.

"We're actually fast-tracking that ourselves," said Nikki Van Ausdall, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area, which has a membership of about 30,000 girls.

Trans fat amounts will be listed on cookie boxes next year -- a year ahead of the FDA mandate -- and the companies that bake Girl Scout cookies are being encouraged to find an alternative oil as soon as possible, she said.

"I think people are really understanding of the fact that nearly every cookie in the grocery store has trans fat in it and that we are working toward resolving this," Van Ausdall said.

She also points out that one of two new cookies this year, the Lemon Cooler, has less fat than other Girl Scout cookies. In fact, each cookie has 26 calories and less than a gram of fat, which includes trans fat. One Thin Mint, the most popular cookie, has 35 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, about half of which is trans fat. The most fattening cookies, if you're worried about it, are the Samoas. One cookie is 75 calories and 4 grams of fat.

This year's cookie clash doesn't end there. With more than 20 million Americans on some form of a reduced carbohydrate diet, Girl Scout leaders are worried that the low-carb craze will hurt sales.

To counter that, the Bay Area council is advertising its "Gift of Caring" program. Atkins dieters and others avoiding carbohydrates are encouraged to donate the cost of a box or two of cookies. The actual product will be delivered to local food banks.

At least California troop leaders have stopped worrying about whether their girls will have to take sides in a labor dispute. The strike at Safeway stores, long a popular spot for Girl Scouts to set up card tables to sell cookies, ended last week.

At the national offices of Girl Scouts of the USA, which coordinates the programs for 2.9 million girls and 986,000 adults, this year's crop of cookie headaches are being cast as a great lesson in the fickle nature of the American marketplace.

"The cookie program is an entrepreneurial program. It encourages them to look at various fluctuations in the market, whether it's the Atkins craze or grocery store strikes," said spokeswoman Marion Swan. "Our emphasis is not on the proceeds from the cookies but the skills that the girls learn."
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Cookies at a glance

Top sellers: In order -- Thin Mints, caramel-coconut Samoas, chocolate- peanut butter Tagalongs.

New flavors: Low-fat Lemon Coolers, chocolate Double Dutch.

Cost per box, Bay Area: $3.50

Cost per box, Boston: $4.50

Profits: Each troop keeps 12 to 17 percent of sales.

In the beginning: First record of a Girl Scout cookie sale is in 1917 by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Okla.

Offline: For personal safety reasons, Girl Scouts are barred from selling cookies over the Internet.

A-OK: All Girl Scout cookies carry the kosher approval seal.

Sources: Girl Scout Web site and the Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area

E-mail Kim Severson at kseverson~sfchronicle.com.

Wouldn't it be great if the Girl Scouts would come up with at least one decent tasting lc cookie? I think that would be pretty awesome. I bet they could come up with something like the thin mints in lc, as well as a decent peanut butter cookie, or almond lace cookie.

Hopefully we'll see more coconut oil replacing trans fats going forward. Personally I think butter has a better shelf-life than people think, and I do believe that the "saturated" fat issue is somewhat misunderstood.

I'm experimenting with different types of ground meal to come up with flour alternatives and have found that a blend of ground golden flaxseed and ground almonds makes a wonderful flour substitute at least for breadings and anywhere where breadcrumbs would be used (such as in meatloaf or meatballs--see the main dishes recipe section). I think I'm going to try this blend to see if I can bake a nice peanut butter cookie. I'm not particularly crazy about soy in general.

Ok, not LC-related but this bugged me. They're barred from selling cookies over the internet for "personal safety reasons", but going door-to-door is still ok?

Honestly, I think internet sales might be safer if kids would mail out the packages... provided of course that no home address or home phone would be provided for a potential stalker or other person who preys on children.

I've been wondering about this too. I think they'd make a killing. I expect they'll come up with something eventually, maybe as soon as next year.

To counter that, the Bay Area council is advertising its "Gift of Caring" program. Atkins dieters and others avoiding carbohydrates are encouraged to donate the cost of a box or two of cookies. The actual product will be delivered to local food banks.

I would donate the cost of a box or two if the money all went directly to the local troop. Why the heck would I want to help poor people get more insulin reistance and add nutrition problems, and why cant they just get the full donation? I bet there is some predatory contract with the actual cookie maker at work there.

"Honestly, I think internet sales might be safer if kids would mail out the packages... provided of course that no home address or home phone would be provided for a potential stalker or other person who preys on children."

I agree....but if you think about it, the KIDS don't even have to be involved!!!! They should have a link on their web-site to order cookies! WHY do the kids have to do the selling!!!!!!

"Profits: Each troop keeps 12 to 17 percent of sales."

They need a new contract and a better negotiator!!!! That's a TERRIBLE rate!

Hell, I know at least 10 people that have said that if they come out with LC thin mint, they'd each buy a case!
Actually, I think that they should do away with the cookie sales. The girls/moms work so hard selling them and only get about 50 cents out of the $3+ a box. That seems sooo wrong.

I hope that bumping an older thread is not frowned upon.

As a former Girl Scout leader of 6 or 7 years, I wanted to comment on this:

"I agree....but if you think about it, the KIDS don't even have to be involved!!!! They should have a link on their web-site to order cookies! WHY do the kids have to do the selling!!!!!!

"Profits: Each troop keeps 12 to 17 percent of sales."

They need a new contract and a better negotiator!!!! That's a TERRIBLE rate!"

Making 12 to 17% profit on the retail end is not bad at all. Think of how much the manufacturing, packaging and advertisement costs, not to mention the shipping. The cases are trucked to each individual troop, there are loads of orginazational forms etc given, and the girls get prizes supplied by GSUSA for hitting goals.

This is the main fundraising each troop has to earn money toward equipment and more expensive trips. Percentages are also given to the local GS regional organizations, who run the camps. The smaller district? groups also get a cut and they sponsor local events, which is quite helpfull for smaller troops or ones with less experienced leaders. Rather than filtering the money down from top to bottom, this does teach girls about setting goals and working toward them to save for special things. We used our cookie money to help defray the cost of a yearly camping trip.

That said, I also wish they would come out with healthier products and also stay away from controversial issues. It has been some years since I lead a troop, my girls lost interest in JHS and my group would all be about 18 now. If I were to start up a neighborhood troop again, I would not feel comfortable with the Planned Parenthood, etc being invited to camps. I steered clear of issues that were better handled by parents in my weekly meetings.

Thin mints, yum.

If you replace the Sugar and Partially Hydrogenated Oils, cookies are relatively low in Carbs [7g each if you deduct the Sugar Alcohols in most SF Cookies] as long as you don't eat half the box. The latter is one reason [other than the Maltitol] I won't eat the new LC Oreos...as the serving size is 2 OREOs [vs. 3 OREOs for Regular.] Who eats 2 OREOs ??? Or for that matter 3 ???

This would only require them to replace the Sugar with Splenda and the Shortening with Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, or something of that nature. Throw in some Wheat Protein [in place of some of the White Flour] and you could bring the Carbs down a little more. Meringue Cookies are damn near Carb-Free without the Sugar, and might make an interesting addition to their Cookie Sales. Peanut Butter is relatively low in carbs and you might be able to make a Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookie.

[QUOTE=cc48510]Who eats 2 OREOs ??? Or for that matter 3 ???

Add to that, a big glass of milk to wash them down.

I think we can safely say, Oreos would be a trigger food for me.

Now as for GSC's, the ones with the caramel and coconut are the best IMHO.

Most cookies are a trigger for you.
But I would say the Tagalongs are the best....oh that creamy peanut butter and chocolate. Must be why I liked that batch of lc chocolate last night, with the peanut butter flavoring in it. YUM!!

I think that they will sell more outside the grocery store than the internet. Kinda hard for most people to say no to a little kid. However, I do not buy girl scout stuff because there is nothing appropriate for me. Boy scouts on the otherhand, sell pepparoni sticks. I am a sucker every time because they actually have somthing that fits my lifestyle.

Seems like a good time to give this a bump.