Have you noticed a new sticker on your produce? Do your apples or avocados seem a bit different than before? The new Apeel coating has a lot of people puzzled and concerned.
What Is Apeel?
According to the marketing, Apeel is an invisible plant-based coating. It is being applied to fruits and vegetables to slow spoiling by keeping air out and moisture in. While this may sound like a great way to prevent waste and spoilage, it has some people worried.
It is odd to think about picking a lime from the store shelf and not knowing how fresh it really is. Has it been there for three days or three weeks? Will it taste as fresh as it looks? Freshness isn’t the only deception that has consumers distrusting Apeel.
Coating Quietly Being Added To Your Produce
Have you noticed big splashy advertisements about this wonderous innovation? Or did you notice tiny stickers on your produce and start asking questions? Or maybe you didn’t even notice and instead read blogs and social media posts by those who are paying close attention. If it will save and extend the world’s food supply, why isn’t this innovation openly celebrated?
Most consumers who purchase fresh produce so to avoid chemicals and additives. So you might imagine the general concern that their fruits and vegetables are being coated with a substance, sealing in germs and pesticide residues. Keep in mind that reports suggest avocados, lemons, apples, limes, oranges, mangoes, grapefruit and cucumbers are already being coated, with plans for expansion.
Secretive Ingredients
The Apeel’s ingredients are being kept under lock and key. Good luck finding a complete list. The website vaguely states that the substance is plant based to mimic nature. Digging deeper, a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notice indicates the coating is primarily made of monoacylglycerides derived from grapeseed (FDA, 2019).But what else? Are there unwanted chemicals or natural substances that could cause an allergic reaction? According to Organic Eye, Apeel is registered as a fungicide and might possibly "unbeknownst to vegans and those with religious and other dietary restrictions, contain animal and shellfish products and other potential allergens. At least one is a carcinogen.". Part 3 of the 2019 GRAS notice suggests below-maximum amounts of grapeseed extract residues including: ethyl acetate, heptane, palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. Consumers are balking at the idea of adding even the smallest trace amounts of heavy metals to otherwise pure produce.
People With Possible Ulterior Motives…
Apeel Sciences was initially founded and funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One only has to look at some of Gates’s other recent projects and statements to know why this is concerning. Additional investments have been made by the Rockefeller Foundation, World Bank Group, and Anne Woicicki—the CEO of the 23andMe genomics company (Mercola, 2023). Lead scientist, James Rogers, Ph.D. is a loud proponent for continued lockdowns to slow climate change.
Is it wild to think that there could be a hidden agenda or alternative effects? Some consumers are growing concerned that Apeel coated produce is off-gassing toxic substances. They report bugs dropping dead in the general area where the produce has been stored. Are these observations due to correlation or causation? Does it matter?
Protecting Your Health
With so many questions and concerns, how can anyone feel good about consuming produce that has been coated with Apeel? And it isn’t as simple as peeling or washing your produce. The manufacturers admit that the coating is essentially impossible to remove.
It's not just the manufacturers of Apeel that have organic consumers concerned, it it the blurring of lines when it comes to oversight of the organic label protections. The once-independent National Organic Standards Board has become primarily comprised of Organic Trade Association lobbyists and other corporate interests who might make choices based on profit more than the health and safety. This undermines the confidence of organic consumers who rely on the organic label as a representation of natural, chemical-free food.
My advice is to watch out for the Apeel sticker and keep moving. You might also take the additional step of complaining to your grocer. Let them know that you won’t be purchasing any of their produce with this coating. Many people are hoping that if enough consumers reject the coating, then it will have to be taken off the market. In the meantime purchase safe produce, directly from farmers when possible. Luckily, farmers markets are just gearing up and it is the perfect time to shop local from organic growers.
For personal support in eating and living well, contact Rose for a phone consultation today!
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What To Remember:
Apeel is an invisible produce coating which claims to slow spoiling and reduce waste.
It is being financed by Bill Gates and the ingredients are being kept a secret.
Consumers are concerned this coating may come with serious health risks.
To be safe, avoid buying or consuming product that has the Apeel label. Buy local organic.
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