Wait, I Thought Organic Was 100% Safer?? What Is This Now?
Okay, first of all, no panicking yet. Remember, fed is best. Also remember that the interwebz are filled with click-bait, jump-scares and things that are LITERALLY designed to make you upset so you’ll revisit pages and sites. So before we go any further, take a deep, cleansing breath and grab your banana. Let’s get into it.
The Girl Who Fell Down The Rabbit Hole
This morning I was chasing white rabbits…ahem… clicking around on Instagram and I saw a post of a woman freaking the heck out because “OMG no produce is safe, Organipeel is on everything, it never washes off, it’s totally gonna give me cancer!”
First of all, lady, basically everything is gonna give us cancer, I don’t think we need to turn fruits and veggies into our enemies right now. NOW IS NOT THE TIME.
Phew. Anyway. One of the comments starts talking about how the post above is misleading because she works for the USDA blah blah blah, so I went down a rabbit hole (as I tend to do, I am my father’s daughter, after all). Here’s what I found:
There’s this company called Apeel Sciences. They are a company that has created a plant-based, invisible coating (a fungicide, specifically) for produce that is meant to keep moisture in and oxygen out, according to their website. They work with the big producers so that by the time the produce gets to us, it’s possibly coated in Organipeel (if it’s organic produce) or Edipeel (if conventional). Not every company is working with Apeel due to the controversy surrounding the lack of transparency on what exactly is in the coating.
“Apeel states that their products are “made of purified mono- and diglycerides that have been derived from plant oils” and adds “Apeel for organic produce contains citric acid.”2 According to Organipeel’s EPA pesticide product label, citric acid makes up 0.66 percent of the ingredients—the other 99.34 percent of ingredients remain a mystery. But the ingredients for products used on organic produce should never be a secret.” -Natural Grocers, 2023
That whole article is worth reading IMO. Very informative.
Monoglycerides and diglycerides are also found in things like ice cream, gum, baked treats and other processed foods products. It is a bit surprising to find them on an apple, however. According to the Federal Code of Regulations, mono and diglycerides are not to be used except in “drums of drying foods”. Which suggests that maybe Apeel products should not be used on fruits and vegetables, and may be worth another review by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). OMRI did respond to the concerns raised by the public in 2023 and responded that it’s technically a fungicide, not a produce coating. Lawyer-speak-much?
Let’s take a moment to look at some cute kittens.
Ahhhhhh, that’s better. So, what now? Can the stuff be washed off? Is it clearly labeled? From what I’ve been reading, it’s difficult and they don’t legally have to. The good news is, some Youtubers have made videos of themselves showing produce that has been Organipeel treated and some that has not and have reported that Organipeel treated produce looks unnaturally “perfect”. Like, very very shiny and movie-star ready. I’m ready for my close-up!
To be fair, Apeel Science’s website is saying their coatings are completely edible. Here’s a quote from their site:
“Non-GMO, responsibly-sourced plant oils are distilled into purified mono- and diglycerides that we use to create an additional edible layer, or peel, on fresh produce to help keep moisture in and oxygen out. These naturally occurring, fatty acid-based ingredients are found in plant peels, regular dietary fats, and everyday foods, and they have a long history of safe consumption.”
Here’s a link to their site so you can check that out for yourself.
Their site does not bring up the question of what else is in the mixture, or allergies, or how the unlisted ingredients might affect people with disabilities or sensitivities, so there’s that to consider as well.
More kittens? No no, that would be dramatic.
Anyway, as the Nature’s producer, I can confidently say that NONE of my produce looks like it’s ready for Hollywood–try as I might to keep it perfect, it’s organic produce, and its shelf life is not forever. Not even close. Same goes for our local and local-organic growers. We wish our pretty fruits and veggies could be shelf stable for long amounts of time, but that’s just not how the kale crumbles. Brussels yellow, apples rot, carrots mold, just the way they’re supposed to. And we are dedicated to continuing to provide you with the freshest, most nutrient packed food we can find.
Thanks for hanging out with me, guys. Have a great weekend, keep it fresh!
