Girl Scouts of the USA is making inclusivity sparkle with the imminent launch of a new allergy-friendly cookie developed with Partake Foods.
Called Girl Scout Sparkables, the oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie with colorful sprinkles is the nonprofit’s first cookie free of the top 9 allergens.
“Girl Scout cookies are more than just cookies. It is an American tradition that has been a part of our culture for decades,” says Jennifer Adams, the content creator behind Make It Allergy Free. “Having a top 9 allergy free cookie is exciting. It feels like: ‘We see you! You have a place in this tradition now!’”
Sparkables joins classic favorites, such as Thin Mints and Samoas, in the iconic Girl Scout cookie lineup, thanks to a partnership with allergy-friendly cookie maker Partake. The top 9-free cookies are vegan and made with certified gluten-free oats. They will be produced in Partake’s dedicated facility, which is free of the top 9 allergens.
After her daughter Vivienne was diagnosed with multiple food allergies as a toddler, former consumer packaged goods executive Denise Woodard founded Partake. As the company this year celebrates 10 years of making cookies free of the top 9 allergens, Partake is expanding with the Girl Scouts partnership.
“It’s deeply meaningful to be the first allergy-friendly Girl Scouts cookie because Partake is rooted in inclusion,” Woodard tells Allergic Living. “Enjoying Girl Scout cookies is a childhood rite of passage. Now more families – including my own daughter who inspired Partake – can be part of this special experience.”
Cookie lovers can order Sparkables exclusively online starting in January 2027. Woodard shares that Vivienne, now a sixth-grader, is a Girl Scout and thrilled about the new cookie. “Because she can safely enjoy Sparkables, this season will be extra special for her,” Woodard says.
Moms Laud New Girl Scout Cookie
The excitement over Sparkables is palpable within the food allergy community. The debut of the bright pink box of allergy-friendly Girl Scout cookies is about more than finding a safe, tasty cookie. It’s about inclusion.
Elise Dunn, a Junior in Girl Scouts, has sold Girls Scout cookies every year to support her troop. Yet, she never got to try a cookie. The 10-year-old is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs.
“I know that has been awkward for her, but she has handled it with the grace and confidence of a Girl Scout,” her mom Marie Dunn says.
“I already know that this new brand will be her favorite for obvious reasons and it’s a great feeling,” says Dunn of Atlanta. When her daughter heard the news about Sparkables debuting, she jumped up and down, yelling “yay”.
Lilah Howard of Jacksonville, Florida, wishes she could try a Sparkables cookie right now, her mom Ashley Howard tells Allergic Living. The 7-year-old, who is allergic to peanuts, is a Brownie in her third year as a Girl Scout.
Howard, who is the leader of Lilah’s troop, says it’s been hard to watch her daughter miss out during cookie season. “She has to sell Girl Scout cookies and talk about how delicious they are, but can’t actually try any of them,” Howard says. “As her mom, I was thrilled to see the new cookie.”
Inclusivity in a Box of Cookies
Howard is proud of the Girls Scouts organization for furthering its inclusivity with the allergy-friendly cookies. While not the only focus, the cookie program is a big part of the Girl Scout experience.
The cookie program teaches Girl Scouts valuable skills, such as setting goals, managing money, working together, digital marketing, and interacting with customers. Now, food allergies will be will be part of Howard’s lesson on following the Girl Scout law to “be a sister to every Girl Scout,” she says.
“I’m looking forward to teaching my girls more about food allergy awareness this year, and excited that we can now incorporate that education into our cookie program,” she says.
In its September 8 announcement, the Girl Scouts organization said that “Sparkables bring a new level of inclusivity to the Girl Scout Cookie portfolio.” The cookie gives families navigating food allergies, “a way to feel more included during Girl Scout Cookie season.”
Just being able to share a cookie can provide a powerful sense of belonging, notes Adams of Make It Allergy Free.
“For someone who can eat anything, it may seem like just a box of cookies,” the food allergy mom tells Allergic Living. “But for a child who is often left out, it’s joy, inclusion, and the chance to experience something that feels wonderfully ‘normal’”.
Partake: Dedicated Difference
Partake has been working behind the scenes with the Girl Scouts for years to develop the allergy-friendly cookies.
“I reached out to the Girl Scouts back in 2020 to share what felt like a moonshot idea at the time,” Woodard says. “Fortunately, they saw the value in making the cookie experience even more inclusive.”
In 2023, Partake’s team began creating the allergy-friendly Girl Scout cookie, testing and improving them, she says. Now Sparkables will be among about 200 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies sold each year.
While Sparkables are made in Partake’s dedicated facility, the other Girl Scout cookies are produced by two different bakers, ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
In 2019, ABC Bakers added voluntary “may contain” warnings on most of the cookie varieties it produces. The move added confusion and upset some customers managing food allergies.
The baker had previously only provided the precautionary label if cookies were made on the same line as a major allergen. But it widened its use of the warning label to reflect cookies made in the same facility as certain allergens.
Consumers can find ingredient and precautionary label information about all the cookies in the 2027 Girl Scout lineup on its Meet the Cookies website.
Girl Scout Sparkables will be available online for direct shipping beginning January 12, 2027, with the national launch of the 2027 cookie season. The U.S. cookie season runs from January through April with the specific local selling dates varying by region. Visit girlscoutcookies.org to sign up for notifications about cookie season.
Followers in Canada can find allergen information on Girl Guides of Canada cookies here. The chocolate and vanilla sandwich cookies, made by Dare Foods, are nut-free and dairy-free.
Girl Scout Cookie You Can Say ‘Yes’ To
As the Girl Scouts of the USA cookie season approaches, the food allergy community eagerly awaits the launch of Sparkables.
Adams has already heard from so many moms, who are sharing excitement over the allergy-friendly cookie’s debut.
“When you are used to telling your child ‘no’ to treats 99 percent of the time, being able to say, ‘Yes, you can have that’ is huge,” she says.
Related Reading:
School and Food Allergies: 8 Tools for Success
