These Companies Have Pledged Not to Use Apeel

Robyn Openshaw - Updated: July 31, 2024 - - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links

I’m on a quest to figure out how you and I can support companies who refuse to use the toxic Apeel preservative coating, that the North American public is now becoming aware of. And, how we can push back and get retailers to refuse to sell produce sprayed with the invisible coating used to make produce last longer.

I’ve previously covered this product as containing 5 heavy metals and 2 toxic petrochemical solvents, even if Apeel Sciences will tell you, if you write them, only that the product is “made from grapeseed,” which is “greenwashing” at its worst. Plus you can’t wash the coating off. So what are we supposed to do with, for instance, greens and berries sprayed with Apeel? Just stop eating the healthiest foods on Earth?

A Well-Known Brand Choosing Not to Use Apeel

Driscoll’s, a 79-year-old brand and the largest berry company in the world, recently wrote this email to a friend of GreenSmoothieGirl, telling her that they are NOT using Apeel and do not intend to.

Email response from Driscoll's about Apeel

I wrote Driscoll’s to thank them for this commitment to not tainting the berries we eat with poisons, and told them that my business would now be going to them, versus other brands. I hope you will do the same. You can send them an email at driscolls@myconsumer.info. If you don’t want your food to be poisoned with a toxic preservative, we ALL need to write and call these companies, and be heard on this subject, and also vote with our dollars.

How You Can Keep Apeel Out of Stores

I also wrote Costco, asking them if they would please carry Driscoll’s brand of berries, and asking them if they are selling produce sprayed with Apeel … and I got the runaround. After attempting to use their online chat, and being unable to find any emails online, for people in charge of produce distribution, I started making some phone calls. Here’s the name and phone number of a Costco employee who is the produce manager for the Southwest region of the company, Frank 770-905-8945. I left him a detailed voicemail about Apeel, or Edipeel, and told him why I am concerned about this toxic coating on many produce items. And asked for a call back. I highly recommend being very polite in your emails and phone calls. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

I think we may see some progress in major retailers refusing to carry Apeel-coated foods only when many of you contact them. I have also called all the produce managers at each of three grocery stores we shop at. Expect to have to explain what Apeel is, to the employees you talk to. Expect to have them tell you they don’t know anything about it. Expect the runaround, passing the buck, produce managers not returning your calls–but whatever you do, please make phone calls every day until you get answers. Ask employees you DO talk to, for the email address of the produce manager. This is worth your time and mine.

I WANT to eat potatoes, greens, berries, vegetables and fruits–and I do NOT want to eat petrochemicals and heavy metals, and I don’t think you want to, either. I would like to ask you to take these steps, and I’d also love to hear from you if you get responses to any outreach you do to various companies. Just write us at support@greensmoothiegirl.com with screenshots of companies’ responses.

I also wrote to the CEO of Costco, Craig Jelinek, because I wrote him about mask mandates in 2020, and he responded. (Defending the mandate, of course.) You can write him, too. Here’s his email address cjelinek@costco.com.

Other Grocers Saying No to Apeel

In Utah, a privately owned chain of 6 health food stores called The Good Earth recently put this statement out, saying that they would not be carrying produce sprayed with Apeel. Or at least it appears that’s what they’re saying. I have given lectures at all the Good Earth stores many times, and they also refused to enforce mask mandates in 2020 and 2021. So I hope everyone in Utah will support them with your dollars, as well as contact them about Apeel. We are running very short on privately owned businesses that care about their customers.

The billion-dollar companies like Costco, Amazon, Target, and Walmart have driven most of the privately owned businesses under. You can see for yourself the difference in responsiveness of the small businesses, versus the billion-dollar public companies. I know you care about this issue of Apeel being sprayed on even our organic produce, like I am concerned about it. We should have the right to see whether the produce we buy is sprayed with Apeel. Currently, they can put the Apeel or Edipeel label on the food item, or not.

We should speak up to the brands we buy from. We should thank the brands like Driscoll’s and Natural Grocers and The Good Earth, who have made the commitment to keep Apeel-sprayed foods out of the produce we buy. We should relentlessly write and call Costco, as I know most of you rely on them to feed your family. If you use their chat, they may tell you they know nothing about Apeel, but they will, if you write them. And they’ll advise their superiors if they’re hearing from many of you on this topic.

Please take similar steps and share this article and the video below so that all your friends contact produce managers, as well. Every employee you talk to helps this cause! If your food sources don’t hear from you, then they take it as your tacit acceptance of these products.

I want to know, have you called your local grocers to ask about Apeel? If so, what response did they give you?

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.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself.