Girl Scouts Cut Trans Fats From Cookies

Girls set up a Girlscout cookie sales table along in New York's Empire State Building in this 1998 file photo. The Girl Scouts have marked their 90th year in the cookie business by getting most of the artificial fat out of all varieties of their iconic treats, which had been under attack by a few health-focused consumer groups. (AP Photo/Scott Gries, FILE) (Scott Gries - Associated Press)

"People are saying, 'It's about time,' said Ho. "Everybody is conscious of the trans-fat issue ... My own sister used to rub me in the ribs sometimes and say, 'When are you going to go healthy?'"

She said the scouts seem to understand the need for a change too.

"These girls are pretty in tune," she said. "They know that at the high school, they started mandating healthier eating. The snacks changed. The vending machines changed. They are very aware that there is a kick on for a healthier lifestyle."

The scouts have been careful not to bill the updated cookies as health food. Even with the changes, most varieties are still high in sugar and saturated fat.

"Like any snack food, you talk about moderation," Pessich said. "We know we aren't selling broccoli."

In fact, the scouts are quick to point out, the new recipes aren't technically trans-fat-free either.

A look at the nutrition label reveals that most varieties still contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil _ the primary source of trans fats in the U.S. diet. But the amount is less than half a gram per serving, low enough to allow a "zero grams of trans fat" label under FDA rules.

Every variety of Girl Scout cookie now meets that standard, based on serving sizes that range from four Thin Mints to two Samoas or Caramel deLites.

That's something for cookie fans to keep in mind as they open a box, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"If it says zero grams, but contains partially hydrogenated oil, people should know it does contain a little bit of trans fat," Jacobson said. "If somebody ate several servings of those foods a day, someone could consume 2 or 3 grams of trans fat, which is significant."