GreenSmoothieGirl Gets Apeel Shut Down at Billion-Dollar Produce Company
The mission of Apeel – the toxic coating being sprayed on produce sold at grocery stores – is to get their product on every piece of fruit in the world.
But thank you for joining me in fighting back against this toxic product, because it’s working!
Together, we got Limoneira – a huge citrus and avocado company buying from all over the world – to quit using Apeel products!
What you'll find in this article:
- Massive citrus company stops using Apeel
- What the Apeel founder said about his product
- Apeel is not organic
- Apeel is made with harmful trans fats
- A free wallet card to help you avoid Apeel
- Please keep pushing against Apeel
- What foods are using Apeel?
Massive Citrus Company Stops Using Apeel!
I’ve been posting on social media with the names and phone numbers of Limoneira executives.
And guess what?
Just days later, I received this text from the massive produce dealer’s CEO:
What the Founder of Apeel Said About His Product
Seven years ago, Apeel’s founder, James Rogers, said that the product he was developing was inspired by stainless steel protected by chromium and molybdenum to prevent rusting.
So he wanted to use parts of plants that nobody wants, like the stalks of broccoli or the green tops of strawberries, to blend up and use as a preservative on fruits and vegetables.
That makes no sense at all!
First, you can’t apply for a patent for a blend of plants. It has to be unique and proprietary.
Second, it makes no sense because two metals keep another metal alloy from rusting, sure. But broccoli stalks and strawberry tops are plants that oxidize and degrade just as quickly as any fruit you might put them on.
Only synthetic, artificial materials could protect plants from oxidizing.
The monoglycerides and diglycerides in Apeel’s FDA filing act like plastics on the outside of fruits.
Apeel Is Not Organic
Seven years ago, James Rogers told Food Engineering magazine that he would get an organic certification for his product.
We looked it up, and that has NOT happened.
The truth is that the EPA classified Apeel’s product as a pesticide.1
Many companies try to put iterations of the word “organic” into the name of their product to make the consumer believe it’s safe or healthy.
Apeel, Edipeel, and Organipeel are neither good for us nor organic.
Even if they contain a little bit of the remains of some plants, along with synthetic preservatives.
Apeel Is Actually Made with Harmful Trans Fats
The monoglycerides and diglycerides in Apeel are well-known trans fats.
They are so harmful that a warning label is required on foods that contain them.
If those ingredients were in food, the manufacturer must disclose them.
However, because this is a coating on the food rather than a food itself, they aren’t disclosing it.
If something is a coating on our food, we should have the right to know what’s in it.
The monoglycerides and diglycerides in Apeel? Nobody knows precisely what they’re made of.
Although the product may have started as a plant, the FDA filing shows it contains two solvents and five heavy metals. Plus, the company isn’t disclosing other “proprietary chemicals.”
Help Me Find Out What’s in Apeel and Get a Reward!
If you can get James Rogers to put all the ingredients of Apeel in writing, I’ll give you $1,000.
Yes, there’s a prize for getting REAL information about WHAT their preservative is made of.
Apeel customer support has given various answers about what’s in their product, including the seeds of grapes being a common one.
I’ve also heard James Rogers say that an extensive variety of plant matter will do; it doesn’t really matter.
The only reason any plant matter will do is if it’s a minor ingredient in an otherwise synthetic product!
A Free Wallet Card to Help You Avoid Apeel
I created a free wallet card for you with the stores that have committed not to buy from vendors using Apeel.
Get your wallet card to help you avoid toxic Apeel on your produce.
On one side of the card, you’ll find the stores that refuse to make a statement about Apeel and stores caught selling Apeel-coated produce.
The other side shows store chains and brands that have committed to keeping their products free of Apeel or not reselling products coated with Apeel.
Give those stores who speak up against Apeel some love and your grocery dollars.
Thank You for Pushing Back Against Apeel
Great job joining me and shutting down Apeel at Limoneira, the huge citrus company.
All of you who joined me in making our voices heard are the best.
Please Keep Pushing Back Against Apeel
As you reach out to grocery store managers and brands, remember these people you talk to are like you and me.
They have emotions. We all want to help people who are kind to us. Please treat them with kindness as you inform them that you’ll be avoiding all brands that coat their products with Apeel’s preservative.
Also, ask them to at least label their products if they will use Apeel. We have the right to know.
What Foods Contain Apeel?
In the same Food Engineering article seven years ago, James Rogers said he would have a unique formula for every fruit and vegetable.
Well, he doesn’t. He said he was focused on raspberries, but he doesn’t have a product to preserve them.
I can’t find any berry company partnering with Apeel, so I assume he couldn’t make a product that works on berries.
The big berry companies, such as Driscoll’s, have given clear messaging when we’ve written to them that they do not use, and do not plan to use, Apeel.
Please keep writing them yourselves. Let’s preempt them ever wanting to spray Apeel on berries.
Go to any brand that is selling berries at your grocery store. You can find any brand online in five seconds.
If we keep them from using Apeel, our task is easier than getting them to STOP using the coating after they’ve signed a contract with Apeel.
I haven’t even seen James Rogers talk about putting Apeel on vegetables.
They focus on citrus, apples, and avocados. These are the ONLY produce I can find coated with Apeel.
Apeel’s focus on citrus is very strange because citrus already has a thick, sturdy peel from nature, unlike other fruits and vegetables.
If you find evidence that other foods use Apeel, please contact me. My staff will share any information you find with me.
Read Next: 5 Toxic Heavy Metals Found in Apeel and What to Do About It
If you'd like to see this article in video form, here it is.
Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.
References
1. Pesticide registration. (2019). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Image Notes
1. Raspberries image used under a CC By 2.0 Creative Commons license by Liz West
Posted in: Health Concerns, Natural Products, Whole Food
In case it is of interest, the following appears to be the patent for Apeel.
https://patents.justia.com/patent/11767278
I am just so upset about APEEL. Costco stopped selling avocados, limes and lemons with APEEL in 2018, BUT I was just in the Pooler, Georgia Costco and they are selling avocados from CALAVO Growers. They are the leading APEEL company in California. I talked to a warehouse manager and he said that he wasn't aware of that. That the buyers only buy from Mexico and Peru. I went back to the store the next day and they had mixed the CALAVO with Peru avocados. Clearly trying to get money back. Is there something that can test fruits and vegetables for APEEL. I feel I always have to be on guard with these horrific chemicals.