Why a cookie recipe made this NH Girl Scout go rogue

[sl8]

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-03-08/why-a-cookie-recipe-made-this-nh-girl-scout-go-rogue
(5:44 min. audio at link)

Why a cookie recipe made this NH Girl Scout go rogue

New Hampshire Public Radio | By Todd Bookman
Published March 8, 2023 at 4:27 PM EST

[...]

Sophia is far from the first Girl Scout to turn anti-cookie.

Scouts and troops across the country in recent years have all raised concerns about palm oil. They’ve made Youtube videos and gone on morning talk shows. The Associated Press published a detailed investigation into the subject in 2020, documenting the links between palm harvesting and child labor.

Learning all this spurred Sophia to action: “One of our main things in Girl Scouts, it's in our pledge, trying to make the world a better place. And I don’t think that the ingredient in Girl Scout cookies is doing that, so I don’t support it, and I wanted to try to do something else.”

[...]

Sophia isn’t going to face any punishment for her cookie side hustle, but Mellor did push back on her criticism of the Girl Scout recipe. She said the Girl Scouts have changed the sourcing of their ingredients in response to concerns from girls. Their corporate bakers pledge to use sustainability sourced palm oil, though critics say unsustainable oil still likely finds its way into the supply chain.

[...]

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Is there no acceptable substitute for palm oil?

It’s a legitimate question, as I really don’t know. Corporate bakers seem hellbent on using it in some form. I’m finding it difficult to believe that it’s absolutely necessary.

[Phoenix61]

3. Of course there is because they were baking long before

they’d ever heard of palm oil. The real question is, is there anything as cheap as palm oil and the answer is no, there’s not.

[LT Barclay]

4. I found this article. I didn't have time to look for other sources, but it looks like a recent

transition and of course it is based on lowering costs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil

Large corporations are going to kill us all.

[hlthe2b]

2. There ARE sustainable sources of Palm Oil. THAT should be the fight:

We should continue to use RSPO certified sustainable palm oil in products, as non-certified sources result in more deforestation and natural habitat conversion. RSPO certified products that use palm oil from 'Segregated' or 'Identity Preserved' supply chains offer the greatest assurance of sustainable palm oil.