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For Cookie Sellers

 

Welcome to the Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps your girl succeed today and prepare for future success. With every box she sells, she builds on 5 essential leadership skills she can use for a lifetime.

Participating in the cookie program powers Girl Scouts’ adventures throughout the year as they learn key business skills to excel in future careers and in life. By participating in different sales methods, girls gain more skills, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. 

Stay up-to-date with 2023's Cookie Program when you register to be a Girl Scout! Join today!


How to Participate

Get ready for your Girl Scout(s) to make (cookie) boss moves this year! No matter how Girl Scouts take part in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, they’ll grow people skills, learn to set goals, make smart decisions, and so much more. Talk about which options to explore this year!

You must complete a 2022-2023 Product Program Permission Form in order to participate.

Not a Girl Scout? Join today!

Phone or Text Friends & Family

Is this your first time running your own cookie business? Texting or phoning friends and family is a great way to connect with cookie customers. And if you are a seasoned cookie boss and your free time is limited—hello, school, sports, and extracurriculars!—this option has maximum flexibility.

Digital Cookie

Are you ready to take your digital marketing skills to the next level? With the Digital Cookie® platform, Girl Scouts can ship cookies straight to customers, accept orders for cookie donations, or have local customers schedule an in-person delivery. Reach your sales goals no matter what your schedule is like. 

Door-to-door

Hone in a Girl Scout sales pitch! With door-to-door sales, Girl Scouts can stay local and sell in their neighborhoods—and use door hangers and business cards for customers who aren’t home. Grow people skills by meeting new neighbors (with the necessary adult supervision, of course)!

Cookie Stands

Would you feel more comfortable on your own turf? Cookie stands, similar to lemonade stands, are set up in front of a residence on private property, where you’ll market your cookies to customers in your neighborhood. They’re a great way to ease into connecting with other community members. This can be fun for the whole family!

Cookie Booths

This option has maximum customer interaction, teamwork, and all the fun! Troops or groups of Girl Scouts work together to market cookies outside a preapproved location (like a grocery store, bank, mall, or even a drive-through booth in a parking lot) where Girl Scouts can practice business skills with new customers.

Note: cookie booths must be coordinated by troop cookie managers; may only happen at council-approved locations; and must be legally open to, accessible, and safe for all girls and potential customers.

Connecting with Your Community

The possibilities are endless! Girl Scouts team up with their parents/caregivers to sell cookies to their employees and coworkers, at places of worship, and at community groups. Prepare a corporate pitch to sell cookies in bulk to car dealerships, real estate agents, or financial institutions. When these budding entrepreneurs secure a large sale, they get a taste of sweet success!

Key Dates

January

  • January 16: Product Permission Forms Due
  • January 20: Family DO C opens
  • January 27: DOC opens for sales
  • January 31: girl experience dates to be released

February

  • week of February 6: initial deliveries
  • February 17: booth sales begin
  • February 17 - 19: National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend
  • February 27: DOC direct ship begins

March

  • March 19: program & booth sales ends

May

  • Rewards delivered 
Rewards

We've got an awesome lineup of rewards and experiences that girls can earn in this year's cookie program! (And don't forget that rewards are cumulative!)

Download the 2023 Cookie Rewards Card [PDF]

Starting at 245+ packages sold level, girls can opt for Program Credits instead of a traditional reward. Girls can use Program Credits towards registration fees for council camp sessions, programs, and training. Program Credits cannot be used for the purchase of cookies or paying cookie debt.

For details on how cookie rewards work, details on rewards, and opt-out options, take a look at our 2023 Girl Scout Cookie Rewards Guide.

Hometown Heroes

With Hometown Heroes, girls can learn the importance of giving back to their community and—in some small way—thank hometown heroes, give back to their communities, and support local food pantries. 

Digital Cookie Videos
Family Guides
Program Materials
Entrepreneurship Badges & Pins

Click here to get started earning your badges & pins today!

Cookie Boss Patch Program

Cookie Boss

Through the Cookie Boss Patch Program, Girl Scouts will build their skills in communication, organization, and responsibility as they learn about building cookie partnerships and closing a deal! Should they choose to put these skills to the test, they can also grow their sales by partnering with businesses to purchase a large-scale cookie donation.

FAQs

Find quick answers to your questions about Girl Scout Cookies. More answers can be found on Girl Scouts USA FAQ page.

Palm Oil
Talking With Your Girls about Palm Oil
 
Product FAQ:

Q: Why does Girl Scouts use palm oil in their cookies?

Palm oil is an ingredient found in the majority of baked snacks sold in the United States. Per GSUSA's licensed bakers, it continues to be necessary to use palm oil in our cookies to ensure their shelf life, to bring you the highest quality products, and to serve as an alternative to trans fats. While we continue to explore other alternatives, at this time, there are no viable or readily available alternatives on the market.

Q: Why can't you replace palm oil?

The world’s food supply is intricately tied to the use of palm oil, so we believe promoting proper manufacturing principles is the most responsible approach to how Girl Scouts and Girl Scout Cookie development is advanced. While we continue to explore other alternatives, at this time, there are no viable or readily available alternatives on the market that would enable us to simply swap the palm oil for an alternative oil.

Q: What actions is GSUSA taking to prevent child labor?

To be very clear, child labor has no place in the production of Girl Scout Cookies. If certain suppliers are not following best practices, we expect our bakers and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), of which GSUSA is an affiliate member, to take action quickly to rectify those exceptions.

Q. Are GSUSA’s licensed bakers removing Palm Oil from Girl Scout Cookies?

We are pleased to share that Girl Scout Cookies baked by both Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers use Mass Balance RSPO certified palm oil and include the RSPO Mass Balance logo on their packaging (i.e. RSPO “Mixed” certification label). Both bakers’ future goal is to achieve 100% RSPO-segregated certified palm oil products for all Girl Scout Cookies they produce. They continue to work with their suppliers to explore strategies and timelines to achieve this goal.

Q: Does GSUSA belong to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)?

Yes, GSUSA is an affiliate member of RSPO.

Q. What does being an affiliate member of RSPO mean?

GSUSA has been a member of the RSPO for almost ten years, As an affiliate member, GSUSA supports the RSPO’s vision and efforts to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products.

Q: Why should I buy Girl Scout Cookies?

When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you support Girl Scouts and you power amazing experiences and life-changing opportunities for girls year-round—from awesome trips to community projects to outdoor adventures. Through your support, you help Girl Scouts build essential skills as they begin to think like entrepreneurs and learn to take the lead, both now and in the future. Girls gain these skills from working with others, setting goals, and connecting with customers. It's about the experience a girl has running her very own cookie business, gaining five essential skills (goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics) as she learns to think like an entrepreneur. Because proceeds from your purchase stay local, you also help create positive change in your community.

Program FAQ

Q. What is GSUSA doing about Girl Scout troops boycotting cookie sales?

Girl Scouting teaches girls to stand up for what they believe is right and just and to take a position on improving the world around them; not only for themselves but for those who can’t speak for themselves. 

We applaud girls for standing up for an issue they are passionate about. Girl Scouts of the USA and Girl Scouts GCNWI shares this passion and do not support or endorse the use of child labor. However, a very effective way to advocate for change is by belonging to organizations, such as RSPO, who advocate for and enforce these ethical standards in the parts of the world where we are not present. We hope that our commitment to doing what is right is seen by our girls as our joint commitment to improvement.  

Each year, it is up to each individual troop and girl to decide if they will participate in the cookie program – a program that helps power life-changing programs, experiences, and learning all year long. We hope that through gaining a deeper understanding of palm oil use, Girl Scouts join us to use our voices to find productive ways to take action against this global issue and continue to be Girl Scout Strong.  

Q: Are there any program materials to help Girl Scouts understand the challenges around Palm Oil?

Yes! Girl Scouts of the USA and RSPO have released a palm oil toolkit to help interested Girl Scouts dive deeper into the topic of palm oil and fully understand the issue. Please contact your Girl Scout Council to learn more. 

Updated Allergen
Update to Girl Scout Cookie Packaging
Allergen Disclosure (2021-2022)

Q: Why was a precautionary allergen statement added to the label?
A: All packaged foods in the U.S. including Girl Scout Cookies are required to identify any of the top 8 food allergens present as ingredients either in the ingredients list or through a “Contains” statement. A precautionary allergen disclosure (“Manufactured in a shared facility with” statement) was added to our labels to declare the presence of allergens in the bakery where Girl Scout Cookies are made. This update was made to be transparent and sensitive to the needs of our customers.

Q: What is the process for sanitizing lines/preventing cross-contact in the bakeries?
A: All Girl Scout Cookies are baked in state-of-the-art facilities operating under good manufacturing practices in order to prevent allergen cross-contact. All Little Brownie products and manufacturing facilities that produce Girl Scout Cookies undergo a comprehensive assessment and qualification to ensure compliance with FDA guidelines. Girl Scout Cookies from Little Brownie Bakers are baked on a production line that is thoroughly cleaned between production runs and tested to make sure the line is free of allergens.

Q: Has the manufacturing process for Toffee-tastic® changed?
A: No. Customers will be buying the same Toffee-tastic Girl Scout Cookies they know and love—and purchase year after year—with no changes made to the manufacturing process.

Q: How is Toffee-tastic Certified Gluten-Free if it is made in a bakery with wheat?
A: All gluten-containing formulas and ingredients are segregated from Toffee-tastic using good manufacturing practices. The production line has a designated mixer for gluten-free and the dough mixing process is segregated from the other areas in the bakery when Toffee-tastic is in production. Toffee-tastic cookies baked by Little Brownie Bakers have been Certified Gluten-Free by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), a third-party organization that verifies through testing of the production line and the finished product that the cookies meet FDA guidelines for labeling them gluten-free. Toffee-tastic cookies are baked on a production line that is cleaned between production runs and tested to make sure the line is free of gluten. The NSF Gluten-FreeCertification seal appears on the side of the Toffee-tastic package. For more information, visit the NSF website.

Q: What is the process for sanitizing lines/preventing cross-contact in the bakery where Toffee-Tastic is made?
A: All gluten-containing formulas and ingredients are segregated from Toffee-tastic using good manufacturing practices. All Little Brownie products and manufacturing facilities that produce gluten-free products including Toffee-tastic Girl Scout Cookies undergo a comprehensive assessment and qualification to ensure compliance with regulations regarding gluten-free designated foods. LBB is certified annually while Toffee-tastic cookies are in production by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). The production line is cleaned, new belts are installed, and the production line is tested by NSF to make sure it is free of gluten prior to production. All production lots of Toffee Tastic are sent off to a 3rd party lab for Gluten Free testing per NSF Gluten-Free Protocol under the certification. The NSF Gluten-Free Certification seal appears on the side of the Toffee-tastic package. For more information, visit the NSF website.

Q: What does “manufactured in a shared facility with [for example, peanuts and eggs].” mean?
A: This means that the listed allergens (e.g., peanuts, eggs) are not ingredients in the cookies, but they are ingredients in other products made in the same facility. Girl Scout Cookies are baked in facilities where food safety protocols are adhered to based on FDA guidelines to fully clean production lines and prevent cross-contact of ingredients.

Q: How are allergen ingredients and products managed in the bakery?
A: Girl Scout Cookies are baked in facilities where food safety protocols are adhered to based on FDA guidelines to prevent cross-contact with allergenic ingredients, like peanuts or tree nuts. Ingredients with allergens are clearly labeled, stored separately from other ingredients, and handled by trained professional bakers in ways that prevent cross-contact with other ingredients and products. When allergenic ingredients are used on the equipment, the equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to ensure the equipment is free of allergens before it is used to make other products.

Q: Do Girl Scout Cookies contain sesame?
A: No, Girl Scout Cookies do not contain sesame as an ingredient.

Q: Is sesame present in the bakery where Girl Scout Cookies are baked?
A: Sesame is only present as an ingredient in the bakery where Girl Scout S’mores is produced. Sesame is not present as an ingredient in the bakery where the other Girl Scout Cookie varieties are produced.

Q: How come sesame is not listed as an allergen in the precautionary allergen disclosure on the Girl Scout S’mores packaging?
A: In the Spring of 2021, The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment Education, and Research Act became law and named sesame as the 9th food listed as a major allergen. Food manufacturers have until January 1, 2023, to update packaging labels.