Jan 28, 2014 04:54 PM EST
Girl Scouts Go Gluten-Free with New Cookie

Girl Scout cookies will now be celiac-inclusive with the introduction of a new gluten-free cookie.

Classic flavors like Thin Mint or Samoa won't change; instead, the Scouts will introduce the certified gluten-free Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookie, PEOPLE reported.

Made with rice and tapioca flours, cornstarch and potato starch, the bite-size cookie contains no gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye.

In the first year, the Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookie will be available in 20 markets for testing. The gluten-free treats, which come in at 150 calories for four cookies, will be launched in more areas next year if they're successful.

"They're actually very good," Girl Scout Delaney Paterno, 9, told the Los Angeles Times Sunday by phone.

Delaney has helped to sell Girl Scout cookies for years but has never been able to eat them before.

The National Girl Scouts Cookie Weekend starts on Feb. 7, according to the L.A. Times.

Participating Scout councils that will be selling the cookies are in areas around the country from the California Central Coast to Virginia to Wisconsin. The complete list is available here.

"Considering all the food allergies in children and adults, the Girl Scouts asked the company to consider a gluten-free cookie," Stewart Goodbody, spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., told the L.A. Times.

The Girl Scouts are also introducing a whole wheat cookie, the Cranberry Citrus Crisp, which features 9 grams of whole grain, real cranberries and no high-fructose corn syrup.

About one in 33 Americans has celiac disease, the auto-immune disorder that results in gluten intolerance, according to CeliacCentral.org.  

Some 83 percent of people in the United States who have celiac may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, the organization said. A proper diagnosis can take six to 10 years on average.

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