Support these grocery stores that will not provide Apeel covered produce. What you need to know about Apeel's organic coating.
Apeel. Is it safe? Why one company thinks that the organic Apeel version may be eliminated or have to be revised.
Apeel. The organic and non-organic forms. What you need to know.
Update Feb 2025: Even if the store you shop at is on one of the lists, ask at your location.
If your store is NOT on either list but you know it does/does not sell Apeel/Organipeel, post it in the comment section, and I will continue to update the lists.
Remember, Organipeel is on some organic produce, so do not assume you are safe from a coating if you purchase only organic produce.
Earth Fare:
This health grocery store closed in 2020 and was bought out by various other businesses. Whole Foods owns some. I shop at one in Tennessee and was told Hosting Hotels owns their location, but I can not locate any information about HH. The EF website also does not provide a link to contact them.
I contacted the EF where I shop, and when I asked about Apeel and Organipeel, the produce manager initially told me that they do not have labels to identify the coating, so there is no way to know.
That response was unacceptable.
I explained that shoppers have a right to this information, and the store must be able to provide it.
She briefly left the phone, and when she returned, she said none of their produce contained Apeel or Organipeel. However, I still feel uncertain, so I will speak to someone next time I am in the store.
What is Apeel?
I am sure you have noticed wax on your apple in the past to extend the product's shelf life.
Apeel is not the same as this wax coating. Apeel, a thin edible coating, is found on some produce, primarily apples and avocados, but can be on a host of other produce that Apeel states can be washed off via scrubbing or removing the peel.
However, Apeel also states that you will most likely be unable to remove all the coating.
Apeel has stated that you can also peel the food, as the coating does not leach into the flesh.
The advantage of Apeel is that the product lasts longer. For example, how often have you thrown an avocado out because it went bad too quickly?
But is it worth having the Apeel coating to have your food last longer?
In this FDA GRAS notice, Apeel is called MDAG (mono-, diglycerides derived from grape seed).
(note: the three-block quote sections are sourced from the FDA GRAS document link above).
How Apeel is made
Apeel Sciences describes MDAG as yellow liquids, white to pale yellow-colored plastics, or ivory, white, or pale yellow solids.
Apeel Sciences provides a general chemical structure of monoglycerides, as well as the chemical structure and chemical and physical properties for two representative monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed.
Apeel Sciences describes the manufacturing process. Apeel Sciences states that grapeseed oil is extruded from grape seeds by mechanical pressing. The oil is processed to generate a mixture of mono- and diacylglycerides containing the same naturally-occurring fatty acids as in the grape seed oil, but in their saturated form. Apeel Sciences first adds glycerol and a catalyst to the grape seed oil. Then, a neutralizing agent is added to quench the catalyst.
A liquid–liquid extraction with water and heptane or ethyl acetate is then performed to remove unreacted glycerol, residual catalyst, and the residual neutralizing agent.
The saturated forms of the naturally-occurring fatty acids are then formed in the presence of hydrogen gas and a catalyst (20% w/w palladium hydroxide supported on carbon), and then the catalyst and residual solvent are removed to yield the final MDAG.
Apeel Ingredients
(Note: The ingredient section did not copy and paste properly from the FDA GRAS document. Please refer to the document for the accurate ingredients list).
As follows: total glycerides (~ 90 and diesters (~ 70 wt%); a de content(~ 30 wt%); total 33 wt%); free glycerol (=:;; 7 wt%); soap(=:;; 6 wt%); residue on ignition(=:;; 0.5% determined at 800 ± 25°C); acid value(=:;; 6); iodine value(=:;; 4); water content(=:;; 2%); ethyl acetate(=:;; 1,000 mg/kg); heptane(=:;; 1,000 mg/kg); palladium (=:;; 5 mg/kg); arsenic(=:;; 3 mg/kg); lead(=:;; 2 mg/kg); cadmium(=:;; 1 mg/kg); and mercury(=:;; 1 mg/kg).
Does Apeel Leach Into the Produce?
MDAG is not expected to migrate to the edible portion, and the main source of consumer exposure will be in products with edible peels. Apeel Sciences states that based on a study by Kimmons et al. (2009)
The Apeel Site
The Apeel site’s FAQ page is unclear about the ingredients and does not provide a list of its contents. It only states that it is made from mono- and diglycerides derived from plant oils and that Apeel is not derived from GMO plants.
Apeel has two different products. One is for non-organic produce, and it is called Edipeel. The product for organic produce is called Organipeel.
My Biggest Concern With The Apeel Site
Where is the list of Apeel ingredients for the two different products?!!
The site only states that Organipeel has citric acid added to it.
That is secrecy, and secrecy regarding our food is very concerning!
When companies are not upfront about sharing their product ingredient labels, warning bells go off.
Organic Foods Can Be Coated With Organipeel (for now).
Organipeel for organic foods is registered with the EPA as a fungicide. The active ingredient, citric acid, accounts for only 0.66% of the product. Citric acid is allowed in nonsynthetic organic foods.
This is concerning because Apeel is used as a coating, not a fungicide. So, it is approved as one thing but used as something else.
If citric acid makes up only 0.66% of the Organipeel ingredients, what is making up the other 99.34% of the ingredients?
We do not know because there is a lack of transparency.
Monoglycerides and diglycerides, fatty acids sourced from plants, are the primary ingredients in Edipeel, the non-organic Apeel product. These FAs are also used in processed foods such as ice cream, candy, and baked goods.
But these glycerides (mono- and diglycerides) are allowed in organics ONLY for drum drying (a method used to dry out liquids from raw materials) but NOT as a consumable or a coating.
So, are these glycerides in Organipeel? We do not know, but Cornucopia thinks that Organipeel will be disallowed with the current formulation in the future.
Trans Fats and Heavy Metals in Apeel
Trans-fats
Mono- and diglycerides are regulated as emulsifiers rather than fats; they are allowed for use in and on food. This means that a product with a trans-fat-free label can contain mono and diglycerides.
But guess what?
Apeel states their products do not contain ANY trans-fats!
Heavy Metals
Returning to that FDA GRAS notice indicates that the edible coating may contain residual amounts of ethyl acetate, heptane, palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. The FDA concluded that the amounts were below the required limits.
Like pesticides and herbicides, we do not know the long-term effects of consuming products with Apeel multiple times daily.
Because who is going to fund those studies?
How to Avoid Stores and Product Brands That Sell Apeel
The link for grocery stores that offer and do not offer Apeel-covered produce is for the U.S.
This site lists stores and brands that sell Apeel and do not sell it (in the U.S.). If you want to avoid Apeel, you need to know what food it can be put on and which stores offer it since you cannot detect this coating by looking at your produce.
Currently, Apeel can be found on non-organic and organic apples, avocados, cucumbers, asparagus, limes, lemons, grapefruit, mandarins, mangoes, and oranges.
Brands and Stores that do NOT (as of May 2024) sell Apeel coated products:
Braggs (apples for their ACV)
Sprouts
Costco (they were but discontinued selling Apeel products)
Publix
Trader Joes
Jimbo’s
Azure Standard
Clark’s nutrition
Love Whole Foods Cafe & Market
Fresh Thyme
Erewhon
Imperfect Produce
Misfits Market
Ranier Fruit Company
Driscoll’s
Stemilt Apples (discontinued Apeel on their organic apples)
Domex Superfresh Growers
Natural Grocers
Stores and brands that ‘may” sell Apeel
H-E-B/Central Market (states not in their products but still no guarantee they may have Apeel products in their store)
Whole Foods (said Apeel meets WF safety standards and has signs disclosing they use Apeel and other coatings- at least they disclose it to their customers).
ALDI (no Apeel policy)
Kroger (and its numerous subsidiaries) said they could not speak about other produce brands but stated that their brand is not treated with Apeel).
Albertsons
Target
Walmart (not on their brand, but can carry other produce brands with Apeel)
Giant (not on their private brand but carries other produce brands with Apeel)
Cub Foods
Shaws
Fairway Market
Fred Meyer
Bristol Farms
Market Street
The Fresh Market
Market Basket
Stop & shop
Hannaford
West Pak
Limoneira (lemon producer)
Topline Farms
Calavo Avocados
Horton fruit company
Inde Fresh
Nature’s Pride
Del Monte
Sage Fruit Company
Bottom Line
You may want to stay away from any food product that Bill Gates has a hand in creating and investing in since (from my perspective) he does not prioritize your health (nor is he interested in your optimal health at all).
Additionally, there is no research on the long-term effects of eating multiple pieces of produce each day with Apeel for years. This is similar to pesticides and herbicides. One piece of fruit may contain 20 or more pesticides and herbicides, but no one has examined the cumulative effects of ingesting that many toxins at once, daily, and for years.
My advice as a nutritionist is to avoid foods with Apeel as much as possible. Here in the US, you can use the grocery store guide to help you avoid Apeel-covered foods.
For instance, I purchase all my produce from Natural Grocers, which has stated it will not supply produce with Apeel.
Regardless of your country, you should be able to ask your local grocery store about its Apeel policy.
For people who cannot afford organic produce
It is a shame that many people cannot afford or have access to produce not located with Apeel. In this case, Farmer’s markets may be a more suitable option and sometimes more affordable. I have found that if you wait until the end of the market day, the vendors do not want to pack up their produce and are willing to sell it at a lower price.
Please show my posts some love! It is a busy spring, and I am writing, researching, seeing clients, and doing all my spring chores on our mini ranch.
How do we get ALDI to declare whether they sell this Gates depopulation coating? How can we pressure them to abandon its treated fruits and vegetables? Petition them? Any ideas? ALDI is my favorite store. The prices are still affordable and (like in Germany, where ALDI comes from) their products usually come from farms they control in order to guarantee high quality.
Bill Gates qualifies for the death penalty and the sooner it is applied - the better for mankind.
Thanks for the heads up on Apeel - it's good to see that Vitamin Cottage and Costco don't purchase these products. Whole Foods though ... I'll ask questions myself next time I go and if I get the run around, I won't purchase products from them.