apeel? (fruit and veg)

[piggiemummy03x]

has anyone seen / heard anything about this new ‘apeel’ supermarkets have started putting on fruit/vegetables so its last longer? extremely concerning, an unknown powder sprayed onto our food, it cannot be washed off either, i’m worried about eating any produce with it let alone giving it to my girls.. funded by bill gates

there’s barely any information on their website about what it is too.. supposedly being picked up by tesco and asda first.

 

[Swissgreys]

Firstly it is not an 'unknown' spray - rest assured that if it is in the food chain it has been throughly researched.
In the short term it's use is only on fruits that have the skin removed before consuming (citrus) and it is currently only at the trail stage.
Can I ask where you sourced the product safety data sheet from?

The reality is that all product safety data sheets will show extreme effects if the product is used incorrectly or in copies amounts. We all remember the scare about artificial sweeteners causing cancer, which is of course true, but only if you ingest roughly your own body weight in them every single day for years (the part that was often omitted in an attempt to make the headlines more dramatic).
At my previous place of work we had to have data sheets on products like water, one of the side effects of improper use is listed as death, but we still use it daily.

If you are concerned then avoid the major retailers, try to shop local when you can, and always wash all fruit and veg under running water before consuming (which everyone should really be doing anyway).

 

[Lady Kelly]

I mean a bit of research shows this isn't new. I did wonder if this was a Bill Gates conspiracy theory again like implanting microchips through the COVID vaccine was but it's just that his charitable trust provided funding to apeel to develop their idea back in 2015 OPP1130141

I've started reading through the apeel website and it sounds quite fascinating. It says there's no stores using it in my area but it's an alternative to wrapping everything in plastic. It's not pesticides or preservatives in the traditional sense but a way to lock in moisture that prevents items going bad. English cucumbers being sold in Canada is their newest venture and I think it's great to think you could buy cucumbers in supermarkets without that non-recyclable plastic round it. Obviously anything used is going to have to have been heavily scruntised and pass the food safety laws etc.

I hadn't heard of this before today but I think I'll be following it to see what happens next. There's still so much plastic in supermarkets for fruit and veg and a large chunk of it either can't be recycled or can't be put in home recycling and has to be taken to the supermarket recycling.

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I just looked this up, and it appears to just be a plant based lipid product. It has been recognized by the FDA as safe (sorry, I didn't find the EFSA version, but I did find an application to the FSANZ referencing that the EFSA had concluded them to be safe ...)

Basically, it's derived from grapeseed oil, it's been scientifically shown to be safe, it's a component in metabolic processes, and you're already eating these things anyways.

FDA GRAS Approval
"The constituents of a mixture of monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed are found in nature. As per 21 CFR 184.1505, mono- and diglycerides that consist of a mixture of glyceryl mono- and diesters and minor amounts of triesters are affirmed as GRAS for direct addition to food. The mono- and diglycerides are permitted for use in food with no limitation other than current Good Manufacturing Practice. These esters can be used in food for multiple purposes, for example, as: a dough strengthener; an emulsifier and emulsifier salt; a flavoring agent and adjuvant; a formulation aid; a lubricant and release agent; a solvent and vehicle; a stabilizer and thickener; a surface-active agent; a surface-finishing agent; and a texturizer.
The constituents of the mixture of monoacylglycerides derived from grape seed are present in the diet as components of conventional dietary oils and as approved food additives (i.e., mono-and diglycerides), and are formed from normal lipid metabolism following the consumption of dietary fat. There is no evidence that the presence of monoglycerides or diglycerides of food fats have any deleterious effect on cells or tissues."
FSANZ Application
"Mono- and diglycerides have an extensive history of safe use in a variety of foods and are allowed for use as a glazing agent on fresh fruits and vegetables in several countries and regions, including Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and the United States, and are allowed on certain fruits in the European Union. JECFA established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of “not limited” in 1974,2 and an EFSA Panel concluded in its 2017 re-evaluation of mono- and diglycerides that there was no safety concern for the reported uses and use levels."

 

[Cheekypigs]

This actually sounds like a good idea, it drives me nuts that I have to throw out plastic film every time I buy a cucumber.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

thanks for your replies guys, from the information i’ve seen i will be avoiding at all costs, i do agree it would be great to reduce plastic waste but other than that its definitely a hard no!

 

[piggieminder]

Very hard no here too.

 

[Swissgreys]

thanks for your replies guys, from the information i’ve seen i will be avoiding at all costs, i do agree it would be great to reduce plastic waste but other than that its definitely a hard no!

It would be great if you cold share the source of the information you have seen and found so worrying.

 

[Free Ranger]

It's an interesting one for those of us who are old enough to remember when 'irradiation' was brought in to preserve soft fruits and the like. We all thought we'd literally grow two heads eating the wrong strawberries! But the issue that emerged clearly during that debate was that food retailers were reluctant to label which foods had been preserved by irradiating. Just like with the GM debate - if things are labelled the consumer makes the choice. If retailers try and weasel out of clear labelling that's when I start to get twitchy... what are they trying to cover?!

I'd try and be open minded but the thing I would be considering is that we are massive and pigs are small. What they're eating makes up a greater proportion of their bodyweight. Years back we were 'growing' butterflies for my son as we'd found caterpillars in the organic broccoli (almost inevitable) so we kept them in a jam jar. Unthinkingly I refreshed their dinner one week with normal market broccoli - which was washed and was nice because we were also eating it. And by morning they were dead because that's why you don't get caterpillars in ordinary broccoli. We were fine because we were massive but the tiny caterpillar has to eat a much greater proportion of it's bodyweight in greens. Pigs are bigger than caterpillars but smaller than us. It'll be something I think about. One of my rellies is currently going through an 'only eating organic' phase but doesn't seem to notice when the carrots have gone a bit manky (organics obvs don't store so well). Mould is 'natural' - but I tend to avoid it because it tastes really bad!

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I would point out that it is also possible that the caterpillars died not because they are smaller but because they are caterpillars. Depending on with what the broccoli was treated, it may have been something that has a mechanism of action that specifically targets insect larvae. An example of this would be Bacillus thuringiensis, the spores of which contain proteins that bind with specific receptors in cells of the mid-gut of its target species and require a certain environment to be activated. Species that don't have these receptors or have digestive systems that do not activate the proteins are unaffected ... like humans or guinea pigs.