Girl Scout® Cookies Not Affected by Peanut Butter Warning

 Girl Scout® Cookies Not Affected by Peanut Butter Warning

St. Louis, MO — 1/21/09 – The peanut butter used in all Little Brownie Bakers Girl Scout® cookie products is not sourced from the supplier involved in the current peanut butter recall. Food safety and quality are of the utmost importance to Girl Scouts; the FDA and other regulatory agencies have indicated that Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is the focus of their investigation concerning a recent Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. PCA does not supply peanut butter used in any variety of Girl Scout® cookies.

Cookies sold by members of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (GSEM) are supplied by Little Brownie Bakers. Other GS councils, including some which surround GSEM geographically, are served by ABC Interbake. Neither of these two licensed bakers affiliated with Girl Scout® Cookies source their peanut butter from the supplier involved in the current peanut butter warning.
GSEM troops are currently taking orders for the council’s 2009 cookie sale, now through February 1, 2009. If you miss ordering or want more cookies, booth cookie sales run February 25 to March 15, 2009.

The Girl Scout® Cookie Program is the nation’s premier entrepreneurship and educational program for girls, teaching them financial responsibility, business proficiency and lifetime skills. Marcia Barber, GSEM’s Chief Executive Officer, said that the cookie program is an annual opportunity for girls to gain valuable skills, including money management, decision making and goal setting. “It’s an integral part of the Girl Scout leadership experience,” Barber said, “thus, community support of the annual cookie program is deeply appreciated.”

All proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program stay within the local council to benefit area girls. Troops retain a percentage of the price of each package to fund activities such as field trips and community service projects planned by the girls throughout the year. Proceeds also help the council deliver programs for girls, provide training and materials for adult volunteers, and maintain local Girl Scout camps

For more information on Girl Scouts and the 2009 cookie sale, visit www.girlscoutsem.org.