Girl Scout Candy Bars Coming to Retailers From Nestle

May 8, 2012 — -- As if eating too many Girl Scout cookies isn't a tough-enough temptation, here comes a new one: the Girl Scout candy bar.

Tuesday, Nestlé will announce plans to make a limited-edition Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bar, to be sold June through September at retailers nationally. It will not be sold door-to-door. Under the licensing agreement with Girl Scouts of the USA, Nestlé will make three candy bars based on classic Girl Scout cookies: Thin Mints, Caramel Coconut and Peanut Butter Crème.

Even with Girl Scout cookie sales and membership on the upswing during the 100th-year celebration, the deal could raise needed funds with tens of millions of bars expected to be sold. But the move is raising eyebrows of nutritionists.

"The Girl Scouts are being used to sell another unhealthy product," says registered dietitian Hope Warshaw. "A product that has the halo of youth on it ought to be something healthy."

Another nutritional expert is disappointed. "The Girl Scouts are a good cause and do important work," says Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. "But it's a shame they're licensing their brand to a product that is mainly sugar."

Nestlé and Girl Scouts officials say the candy bars will be targeted at adults — not kids. What's more, they note, the key is a balanced diet.

"They should be enjoyed in moderation," says Cherry Joh, marketing manager at Nestlé Crunch. Joshua Ackley, PR manager for Girl Scouts of the USA, says, "It's considered a snack treat."

The concept was devised last year by Nestlé. "The idea of working with Girl Scouts clicked on so many levels," Joh says. Nestlé Crunch was developed in the USA, she says. Similarly, she says, the Girl Scouts have a heritage of selling sweet products. Girl Scouts of the USA sold $760 million in cookies last year.