Natural Grocers Rejects Apeel

Second confirmed retailer

I posted yesterday that Trader Joe’s had replied to my query, confirming that they do not sell produce that has been treated with Apeel. Today, an astute reader informed me that Natural Grocers also does not sell produce treated with Apeel or Organipeel.

From the Natural Grocers website:

“…In recent months, concern has been growing about the lack of transparency of a post-harvest fungicide coating by Apeel Sciences that has been approved for use on organic produce, though the full ingredient list has not been made public.

Editor’s note: We reached out to Apeel multiple times requesting a full list of ingredients, but never received a clear answer about what is in the Organipeel coating.

“Apeel claims their post-harvest sprays extend produce shelf-life. One of their products, Organipeel^TM is listed by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) for use “as a fungicide for post-harvest use in organic production or food processing and handling” according to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) spokesperson.¹ Apeel products are being used on both conventional (as Edipeel^TM) and organic produce (as Organipeel) including avocados, citrus fruits, apples, and cucumbers. In terms of ingredients, 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.

“Though the mystery remains, this is what we know

“Though it remains unclear whether the ingredients listed in Apeel’s Edipeel are also in Organipeel, if indeed they are the same, we have reason to be concerned. Mono- and diglycerides are produced in a way that can result in human-made trans fats being present in the finished product. In 2015 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized the hazard that human-made trans fats pose to health and banned the use of human-made trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils in the food supply. However, because mono- and diglycerides are regulated as emulsifiers rather than fats, they are allowed for use in/on food and produce inspite of the fact that they can contain human-made trans fats. This means that products may be labeled as “free of trans fats” even if they contain mono- and diglycerides. It is also important to note that mono- and diglycerides are only allowed in organics for drum drying (a method used to dry out liquids from raw materials), not as a consumable or coating.

“To process grapeseed oil into mono- and diglycerides, Apeel products go through an industrial process that inevitably leaves traces of processing agents and heavy metals.³ In their request to the FDA for recognition as a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) product, Apeel states that they use ethyl acetate and heptane as solvents. They also list traces of heavy metals including palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Though trace amounts may not sound like much, is any amount of heavy metals added to fruits and veggies okay? And what about those fruit and veggie lovers who eat more than the projected average amount per day?

“In the application for GRAS, Apeel cites several studies on the general safety of grapeseed oil derived mono- and diglycerides, but there are no studies on the effects of Apeel products themselves on human or environmental health.⁴

“According to Apeel, in terms of washing their products off fruits and veggies they state, “it’s unlikely that you’d be able to remove all of it,” and add “it wouldn’t maintain the fruit’s natural freshness if it was easily removed.”⁵ Yikes!

“Our conclusion

“Produce sprayed with this mysterious coating leaves us with unnecessary exposure to the ingredients themselves (which still haven’t been made clear) and to the by-products of their processing. Fruits and vegetables are nutritional gems best kept organic. Apeel and Organipeel do not meet our high standards, therefore, you will never find produce coated with it at any of our stores.”

References

---

1. Personal Correspondence with USDA, June 26^th, 2023.

2. FAQ: Food gone good: Apeel. Apeel. (n.d.). https://www.apeel.com/faq Accessed: June 25^th, 2023

3. Apeel Sciences, FDA GRAS Notice 886, Mixture of monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed Retrieved June 25^th, 2023 from: https://www.fda.gov/media/135999/download#:~:text=A%20mixture%20of%20mo…

4. Apeel Sciences, FDA GRAS Notice 886, Mixture of monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed Retrieved June 25^th, 2023 from: https://www.fda.gov/media/135999/download#:~:text=A%20mixture%20of%20mo…

5. FAQ: Food gone good: Apeel. Apeel. (n.d.). https://www.apeel.com/faq Accessed: June 25^th, 2023

---

So thank you, Natural Grocers!

And to my astute readers: Please keep those tips coming in!

And yes, I’ve seen some of the lists floating around the Internet, purporting to tell us which stores do and do not carry Apeel-laden produce. The problem with those lists though - at least the ones I’ve seen - is that they do not give sources for their claims. No links to statements from the retailers themselves, etc. What I’m looking for are verifiable claims.

…Hopefully, there will be more.