<P> High - fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used in some cookies . The bakers claim that it is a necessary ingredient in ensuring the quality of the cookie . </P> <P> In September 2011, GSUSA released a new policy on palm oil in Girl Scout cookies to take effect from the 2012 - 13 cookie season . Amongst the pledges made, the GSUSA announced it will purchase GreenPalm certificates to support the sustainable production of palm oil . The certificates offer a premium price to palm oil producers who are operating within the guidelines for social and environmental responsibility set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil . </P> <P> The 2011 policy was formed in response to a prolonged campaign by two Girl Scouts, Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen . In 2007, as 11 - year - olds, Vorva and Tomtishen earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award by raising awareness about the endangered orangutan and their rapid diminishing rainforest habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia . When they discovered that the Girl Scout Cookies contained palm oil, an ingredient that results in rainforest destruction and human rights abuses, the two girls launched a variety of campaigns in order to convince the GSUSA to remove this ingredient from their cookies . Vorva and Tomtishen were awarded the UN Forest Heroes Award in 2011 . </P>

Where did the strain girl scout cookies come from