It’s always (knockoff) cookie season in the grocery aisle.
It’s no secret that supermarket chains across the U.S. offer their own store-brand versions of popular grocery items, including some that appear nearly identical to name-brand products associated with corporations like Nabisco or General Mills. But some retailers are also selling their own copycat versions of food items more commonly associated with troops of pre-tweenage girls.
“Just got my Girl Scout cookie dupes yesterday,” one Reddit user announced this week, showing off two packages of Aldi-brand cookies sold under the store’s in-house Benton’s brand. Just as the shopper suggested, the treats bear strong resemblances to the Peanut Butter Patties and Caramel DeLites often sold by the Girl Scouts of the USA.
“[The] Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies are delightful,” the user added. “Haven’t dug into the Caramel Coconut ones yet.”
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Along with Aldi, major retailers including Walmart and Dollar General offer their own lookalike treats, sold under their in-house Great Value and Clover Valley brands (respectively). Crav’n and Keebler also sell several cookie varieties that look and taste like those sold by Girl Scouts, though Keebler’s relationship to GSUSA cookies is somewhat more complicated: Little Brownie Bakers, one of two companies currently licensed to produce Girl Scout cookies, is in fact a division of Keebler.
The cookies’ similarities, of course, are not lost on customers. A quick search for “Girl Scout cookie dupes” or “Girl Scout cookie knockoffs” produces dozens of results on social media. Sites such as Parade, The Takeout and The Daily Meal have also conducted taste-tests in recent years, ranking how the copycats stack up against the real thing.
On the surface, it makes sense that major retailers would try to market their own lookalike cookies. The Girl Scout versions are well-liked, both for their flavor and their nostalgia. And they’re generally only available for a few months, leaving cookie fans in the lurch for the rest of the year.
There’s also no law against manufacturing a copycat food item, so long as the packaging isn’t misleading and the marketing doesn’t infringe on any of the original version’s trademarks. (A recipe itself cannot be copyrighted, and it’s quite difficult to obtain a patent for a food item unless the production process meets strict criteria, according to the U.S. Copyright Office and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.)
For these reasons and more, it’s quite clear why copycat Thin Mints and Lemonades exist. But should shoppers be seeking them out during cookie season?
A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of the USA recently weighed in on the matter.
“When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, you’re getting more than just a delicious treat: you’re helping to power experiences that help girls learn, grow and thrive. That means funding trips that spark curiosity, camp experiences that build independence, service projects that teach compassion, and outdoor adventures that grow courage and confidence,” a spokesperson for the GSUSA told Nexstar.
“While we understand that the love for Girl Scout Cookies runs far and wide, efforts to replicate Girl Scout cookies and sell them in stores directly impact girls’ ability to take part in these life-changing experiences, which for many girls would not be possible without cookie sales,” the spokesperson continued.
Representatives for Aldi, Kroger, Dollar General, Crav’n and Keebler (all of whom market similar cookies) did not respond to requests for comment. But a representative for Walmart, in response to a query about their Great Value cookies, said the company has been a “proud, long-standing partner of the Girl Scouts” and supports their sales through its Spark Good program, which allots “space outside our stores and clubs for local troops to reach their goals and sell their iconic cookies.”
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In the past, Walmart has also partnered with the GSUSA to raise funds through its “Round Up” program, whereby Walmart shoppers can donate to their local troops at checkout.
“While our Great Value line offers year-round, affordable options for our customers, we remain deeply committed to helping these young entrepreneurs reach their goals right at our front doors,” Walmart’s rep said.
That’s how the Girl Scouts of the USA would prefer their troops’ transactions to happen, too.
“We encourage supporters to buy Girl Scout Cookies from a Girl Scout or a local council so their purchase directly funds these programs and opportunities,” a spokesperson said.
