The FDA's Stance on Apeel-Coated Produce and What It Means for Consumers
Consumers should be made aware if their produce has been coated with Apeel so they can decide for themselves if they want to ingest it or not.
You may or may not have heard about Apeel—a coating made of monoacylglycerides and other ingredients. Apeel claims by simply applying a microscopic amount to produce (usually after it has been picked), Apeel creates a breathable layer that slows spoilage by keeping moisture in and oxygen out.
That sounds great, right? Not so fast. Check out the image I pulled from their GRAS Notice to the FDA below. I’m no scientist, but it appears they’re using a process similar to the one used to create seed oils.
The process for making the Apeel coating from Apeel Science’s GRAS notice to the FDA.
But the FDA says it’s safe, and it’s already being sprayed on produce in select stores. Well, the FDA says many things are safe that I wouldn’t put in my body. The FDA saying a food additive is safe is the equivalent of a fox telling the hens he’ll behave if they let him in.
We do live in a free country, and a company has the right to create products, and I, as a consumer, have the right not to buy them. As long as the produce sprayed with Apeel is labeled, I can choose not to purchase it.
Here’s the problem: according to my phone conversation with a representative at the FDA
– she said no law requires them to label a produce item that has been sprayed with Apeel. I replied that the FDA requires labeling ingredients on all other food packages. She said yes, but Apeel is not part of the apple, orange, avocado ingredients, etc.
WUT?
I said, well, the people are ingesting the Apeel coating, which has ingredients.
At this point, she became frustrated with me and said the FDA is currently not required to require labels for produce sprayed with Apeel and that if I wanted that to change, I should contact my congressional representative.
The response from the FDA was utterly nonsensical. This won’t be the end of this. I will contact my representative and urge all of you to do so as well.
The Weston A. Price Foundation is also raising the alarm about Apeel, and you can read their article here.
Find your representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
GRAS Notice: https://www.fda.gov/media/135999/download
Breaking Points Segment on Apeel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrfZJgIZg4
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