Apeel Update: How to Protect Our Food from Secret Ingredients

Wondering how to protect our food from secret ingredients like Apeel coating technology?

Keep reading for our action plan.

If this is the first time you’ve heard about it, Edipeel from Apeel Sciences, Inc. is a food coating already being applied to fresh fruits and vegetables in 65 countries on all continents.

Apeel’s products are marketed as all-natural but is manufactured using toxic solvents like heptane and ethyl acetate. It also contains citric acid and toxic heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead.

Apeel’s Organipeel is even on organic produce in the United States and, according to its website, is impossible to wash off.

Read more in last week’s blog, where we share the patent documents from Apeel so you can educate yourself on what is currently applied to our fruits and vegetables, both organic and conventional, often without our knowledge.

In this blog, we will share what we’ve learned from our readers about where Apeel is being used and how they’re taking action to get it out of our food supply.

WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE

Before we share updates and what we’ve learned, I want to start by addressing the shock and stress this has caused many of us.

Secret ingredients are scary. How could this toxic coating be applied to lemons, organic apples, avocados, oranges, grapefruit, asparagus, mangos, and more without our knowledge?

What happened to consumer choice, requirements around consumer awareness of food additives, and the regulatory authorities who are supposed to protect our food supply?

Although Apeel, and its product, Edipeel, were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that doesn’t mean consumers want to eat organic apples coated in a highly-processed polymer.

Apeel may be derived from grape seeds, a natural product. Still, manufacturing involves high heat, voltage, toxic solvents, and heavy metal exposure – even minuscule amounts of toxins translate to toxicity over time.

The problem with articles like this one from Politifact, which repeat Apeel’s marketing campaign messages, is that they don’t address the toxins that Apeel’s own documents show to be included in their products.

Articles like these gloss over Apeel’s toxicity by saying it is FDA or USDA-approved and therefore safe – just more gaslighting of concerned consumers who have every right to ask questions.

It sometimes feels like each day brings more triggers as we uncover more lies, cover-ups, misleading information, and toxic exposures.

What empowers me in moments like this is taking action.

We always have a choice regarding what we buy, which will directly impact corporate behavior. If we refuse to buy a product, companies will stop selling it. Simple.

So what we need, more than anything is awareness.

Informed consumers are empowered consumers. Share on X

This is why we sounded the alarm last week on how Apeel has been quietly deployed globally – to increase awareness so that we can all take action from an informed place.

By the way, be sure to sign up to my newsletter to stay up to date on the developments with this story as we continue to learn more and provide tools and information to help you take action.

TIME TO TAKE ACTION

In last week’s blog, we shared six action steps each of us can take to empower ourselves, protect our health, and impact the marketplace by making our voices heard.

Our goal is to make it easy for you to get informed and take action as the knowledge of this mystery food additive spreads.

One of the most frustrating aspects of Apeel is the lack of consistent labeling of foods coated with its product, Edipeel. So we are building our own sources of information with your help. More below.

The most important thing we can do now is spread the word and make our voices heard.

A significant action you can take right now is to contact Tesco in the United Kingdom, a major grocery retailer that just completed a three-month trial of Apeel-coated produce and is now considering a larger partnership with Apeel. Article here.

We can stop this if we take action! Contact Tesco today to tell them not to use Apeel in the future.

Call +44 (0) 330 6780 639 if you’re international or 0800 505 555 if you are in the UK, WhatsApp Tesco at +44 0800 917 7403, or email at press.office@tesco.com. See our sample messages at the bottom of this post for ideas of what to write.

We already have three significant wins to share below, so don’t lose hope! In less than one week, we are already turning the tide.

1) First, focusing on produce suppliers is our first step because that will have the most significant impact on our food supply.

One produce supplier may provide apples to hundreds or thousands of grocery stores. Their choices have a massive impact on our food supply chain.

Produce suppliers are used to dealing with farmers and grocery stores (their distributors) but are less accustomed to hearing directly from consumers.

Flooding email inboxes and phone lines with emails and calls from consumers about Apeel will encourage suppliers to rethink their application of this secret mystery ingredient. Be sure to mention Edipeel and Organipeel specifically as well as Apeel since some produce suppliers or managers will only be familiar with one of these.

A supplier’s bottom line is improved by using Apeel – less expired product – but if they can’t sell as much product to their distributors because consumers don’t want Apeel on their food, their profits suffer even more.

We already have a win with a major United States supplier! Keep reading to find out more.

2) Next, we focus on grocery stores and markets. Their customer relationship is hugely important, especially if they are not a large corporate chain; even large chains listen to consumers.

We have to make it clear that we are concerned about Apeel-coated produce and that nothing they can say will convince us that it is safe. We know it’s toxic, but they may not.

Remember, Apeel’s marketing message was shared with suppliers and grocery stores – this product is safe, natural, and harmless. There are only beneficial outcomes to using Apeel, like less food waste.

But we know that Apeel is a highly-manufactured polymer that contains toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury, other toxins like arsenic and citric acid, and toxic solvents like heptane and ethyl acetate.

We likely know more than the suppliers and grocery stores, so be patient with them, inform them, and do so firmly. This is how we keep turning the tide so that Apeel is seen as a profit risk, not a profit benefit.

3) Next, we contact suppliers and stores who may consider purchasing or applying Apeel technology. We educate them on the facts and strongly encourage them to commit to avoiding Apeel-coated foods.

A great example is Sunkist, who has told one of our readers that they currently don’t apply Apeel technology to its product but will not commit in writing or share publicly at this time.

With more consumers reaching out, they might make a more substantial commitment.

You can contact Sunkist headquarters using this contact link or call their consumer questions hotline at +1 (661) 290 8710, and be sure to see our sample messages you can use further down in this post.

We have a win here too! Keep reading to get the good news.

It’s helpful to encourage suppliers and stores to publicly state their commitment to avoid Apeel technology and follow up with them monthly to confirm that nothing has changed.

With most email providers, you can quickly write up a follow-up email and schedule it to be sent one month from now to confirm that the store or supplier has kept their stance the same.

4) Finally, and most importantly, we share this story with everyone we know. We ensure that everyone we are connected to has heard of Apeel and knows it is unnatural and toxic.

Share our first blog as a resource to inform others, and share this blog to empower them with actions they can take to make a difference right now.

OUR FIRST BIG WIN

We are thrilled to announce that, just this week, Stemilt Growers confirmed they discontinued the use of Apeel coating technology as of May 19th, 2023 – the day our first blog post went live!

This is a HUGE win.

According to Wikipedia, Stemilt is a leader in organic fruit production, producing 26% of Washington’s organic apples. In 2008, the company shipped over 20 million boxes of fruit.

Until last Friday, all of Stemilt’s organic apples were coated in Apeel. Organic apples produced in Washington state are shipped throughout the United States, and Stemilt produces over a quarter.

Stemilt is also the world’s largest fresh market sweet cherry shipper and one of the nation’s largest grower-packer-shippers of apples, pears, cherries, and stone fruit.

There is a potential that without consumer intervention, most or all of Stemilt’s fruit supply may have eventually been coated with Apeel technology products.

We’ve prevented that future.

OUR SECOND WIN

This next win highlights the power of reaching out proactively to prevent stores and suppliers from considering selling Apeel-coated products in the future.

Earlier this week, one of our readers reached out to their local Natural Grocers location in the southwest of the United States about Apeel, who responded immediately but couldn’t provide a firm answer on whether Natural Grocers would be willing to commit to avoiding Apeel-coated products, so she contacted their corporate office in Colorado.

A day later, our reader received the message shown here confirming that Natural Grocers will not be selling Apeel-coated products at any of their stores.

Not only that, but Natural Grocers has taken the additional step of notifying their vendors that they will not accept ANY product sprayed with Apeel.

Natural Grocers has over 150 locations in 20 states, and now all of their produce suppliers know that they won’t accept any Apeel-coated products.

Another huge win!

OUR THIRD WIN

The petition we shared in our first blog post, asking consumers to commit to boycotting Apeel-coated products, has already reached 1,500 signatures as of the writing of this blog in only six days.

Let’s get that number higher to send a message to the global produce supply chain that we don’t want mystery secret food ingredients and hidden toxins in or on our food.

Click here to visit the petition, sign if you haven’t, and share it with everyone in your network.

We are so encouraged by each of these wins.

Change is happening, and WE are making it happen!

We are seeing the power of community, the power of the consumer’s voice, and the power of technology to connect us all as we work together to make actual change happen quickly.

Let’s keep going!

Below, we will share other stories from our community about their experiences as they reach out to their local markets and suppliers – some distressing, some encouraging.

Come back to this blog. We will continue to update with new stories and information as we receive it.

At the bottom of this blog, you’ll find other helpful resources, including:

1. A list of global produce suppliers using Apeel on their products with contact information so you can write to them or call
2. A list of grocery stores and markets selling Apeel-coated products with contact information so that you can write to them or call.
3. A sample letter you can use to write emails to produce suppliers and grocery stores. You can also use this letter as a script if you call.
4. Stores and suppliers refusing to sell Apeel-coated products currently.

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STORIES FROM THE GROUND

WHOLE FOODS

Several of our readers have reported that Whole Foods markets around the United States are selling fresh produce coated in Apeel and that local Whole Foods representatives have repeated that Apeel is safe over and over again.

We know this isn’t true.

If many concerned customers contact Whole Foods’ corporate office, they may reconsider. Contact Whole Foods corporate at 1-844-936-8255 or use their website contact form linked here.

See our sample message later in this post to help get you started, and remember to make the message your own to be sure it’s effective!

MOM’S ORGANIC MARKET

Unfortunately, not all stores and suppliers will be helpful or respond well to our requests for information or change.

That’s okay. We can then choose to no longer shop with these organizations. That’s the power of the purse.

Our reader shown here told us about their efforts to contact Mom’s Organic Market in northern Virginia regarding Apeel. Her local market confirmed that they sell produce coated in Apeel, but their headquarters told her they could not disclose precisely which products are coated.

This is outrageous. To begin with, a family-owned organic market should not be selling produce coated in Apeel and certainly should not withhold information about its products from customers.

Mom’s’ contact page on their website, linked here, actually lists the email of CEO and founder Scott Nash.

Send Scott an email at SCOTT@MOMSORGANICMARKET.COM asking him why his store is selling Apeel-coated produce, why his team is refusing to disclose consumer information and tell him to stop stocking Apeel produce today. Use our first blog post, linked here, to inform him of the reasons why.

And while you’re at it, contact Wegman’s corporate headquarters to make the same request. Call them at 1-800-WEGMANS (934-6267) or visit their website’s contact page.

** SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR AN UPDATE REGARDING MOM’S ORGANIC MARKET **

COSTCO

Perhaps the most disturbing story we’ve heard involves a Costco location in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This Costo is not selling produce coated with Apeel in its store (although many Costco locations throughout the United States ARE selling Apeel-coated produce). Still, it is directly applying Apeel technology to fresh fruits and vegetables that it is donating to local food banks onsite.

Why would Costco choose to only “extend the life” of the foods given to those in need? And why are these Costco employees being asked to apply it directly at their location? Why is Costco differentiating between its member customers and food donation recipients?

What is going on here?

Contact Costco headquarters to ask about this and tell them you will not buy products coated in Apeel from any of its locations.

Costco’s corporate webpage, linked here, has a chat function for immediate communication. Their membership phone number is 1-800-774-2678. They do not have a customer service email address, so chatting or calling are our best options.

WHO’S SELLING IT?

It’s time to look at which stores and markets are currently selling and supplying produce coated in Apeel worldwide.

Note: this is not a complete list. We will update this list as we learn more from readers, stores, and suppliers, so revisit this blog often for updates. And sign up to my newsletter for reminders, updates, resources, and more.

In our first blog post, we included a form where readers can share which stores in their area carry Apeel-coated products so that others can become aware, contact those stores, and request that they discontinue them.

This is a massive help to us as we gather further information. Calling or writing to your local market or produce supplier and then sharing what you learn with us ensures we have the truth from the ground.

We learned from several readers that the Apeel website locator tool, which is supposed to tell consumers which markets are carrying Apeel-coated products, needs to be updated and include a massive amount of information regarding markets selling their products.

To help you think about how to have a conversation with your local stores, see my Instagram reel below, where I speak to my local market about Apeel, and encourage them to refuse to sell any Apeel-coated products.

Apeel convo with local market

Consumers continue to be in the dark about how common Apeel has become.

If you haven’t already, take a moment to visit our first blog post and complete our form.

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WHO’S SUPPLYING IT?

As I mentioned, focusing on contacting suppliers is a very effective way to reduce Apeel’s market presence. Focus on these major suppliers below.

REFUSING TO SELL APEEL-COATED PRODUCTS

We encourage you to reach out to these stores and suppliers to congratulate them on refusing to sell Apeel-coated produce to reinforce to them that consumers are watching.

This is especially important for a supplier like Stemilt, who only just last week discontinued the application of Apeel on all of its organic apples. Applaud them for their decision, and tell them to stay committed to it!

SAMPLE LETTERS

Use these sample letters as a starting point to write your own email or letter to grocery stores, corporate headquarters, and produce suppliers.

We recommend only using this as a starting point – make your letter reflect you and your concerns. A supplier receiving 100 of the same exact email will not be as powerful as 100 similar but individual emails.

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DON’T DESPAIR. WE CAN CHANGE THIS.

For those of us who care about the quality and cleanliness of our food, the shock of learning about Apeel can feel discouraging.

I won’t deny that when I first learned of Apeel’s product and how widely it’s already being used, I was very distressed. I wondered how many organic apples I ate that I thought were clean but actually were not.

Then I remembered how powerful my voice can be and how powerful yours can be too.

This is how change begins – with learning the truth.

Once we have the truth of what’s going on (secrecy is truly the greatest weapon dark intentions possess), we can operate from that knowledge and effect change.

The most effective way to make change happen is together. We are so powerful when we come together as a community to voice our concerns and advocate for ourselves.

We are not alone in this fight. We have support in solidarity with each other, and we have support from spiritual forces who are working to protect us and ensure that the truth comes to light.

Click here to take action now and sign our petition. 

As you read about above, change is already happening. A major produce supplier has discontinued its application of Apeel, and is hopefully the first of many more to come.

Grocery stores around the world will hear from us about our concerns and rethink their relationship with Apeel from a public relations standpoint. They’ll lose business if they don’t shift gears.

Through battles like this, big and small, remember to keep your heart light as best you can. Try to find some humor in distressing circumstances, remember to take time to center yourself in Nature, and intentionally focus on the countless positive things happening in our world.

We’ll get through this challenge as we have every other – together.

To your health and peace,

Muneeza

MOM’S ORGANIC MARKET UPDATE

The team at Mom’s Organic Market responded on social media to our reader’s request for disclosure regarding the Apeel-coated produce they are selling. They then began commenting on my social media accounts.

See below for our exchange on social media and my longer written response to the Mom’s team.

Dear Mom’s Team,

Thank you for reaching out regarding your concern over consumer sentiment related to Apeel produce coating technology, which you are currently allowing on fresh produce in your stores. I applaud your obvious commitment to food quality. I also understand that you work hard to maintain high standards in regard to the products you sell and that your current understanding is that Apeel food coating is safe and natural. Unfortunately, this is false.

You mentioned a recent social media post that circulated a product safety sheet linked to another company, also called Apeel, which manufactures cleaning products. While this mistaken post raised important questions, I agree that it was in error. My concerns and the concerns of thousands of people around the world who have recently learned of Apeel have nothing to do with this social media error. Please allow me to explain.

Apeel Sciences, Inc., based in California, is manufacturing a highly processed food coating technology using high heat, applied voltage, toxic heavy metals, toxic solvents like heptane and ethyl acetate, and toxic sanitation agents. You can read more in my recent blog post on this topic, which pulls all of this information directly from Apeel Sciences, Inc.’s own FDA-approval application document and their registered patent documents. Apeel product also contains citric acid, which is harmful to health when ingested.

Furthermore, Mom’s lists “Mono And Diglycerides (Except potato flakes)” and “Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides” on its online list of banned ingredients. In the produce safety blog from Apeel’s website that you shared with me, Apeel very clearly states that their product is quite literally composed of processed “mono- and diglycerides” which we know from our research are sourced from grapeseed oil (which is then heavily processed to create the proprietary Apeel coating technology). Clearly, there is a disconnect between the values and standards that Mom’s upholds and the Apeel coating technology.

Even more concerning is the refusal of the Mom’s corporate office to disclose to a reader of my blog which of the products sold at her local market are coated with Apeel. If Mom’s values customer choice and informed consumer consent, why would any member of the Mom’s team decline to share food additive information with a concerned customer? Apeel was applied to fresh produce without this reader’s knowledge. Does she not have the right to be aware of what is being added to her food?

There are two simple ways to course correct. First, be transparent about which of your stocked produce is coated with Apeel. Make this information publicly available immediately to anyone who asks. Second, reconsider your partnership with Apeel Sciences, Inc. based on clear evidence from Apeel’s own documents, which raises health concerns. I would encourage you to refuse to stock Apeel-coated produce at the earliest opportunity to signal a true commitment to consumer health, disclosure, and safety.

Arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, heptane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, citric acid, and palladium may not be on the Mom’s list of banned ingredients, but they are present in Apeel coating technology. Even minuscule amounts of these toxins are concerning to my readers and to me personally, as they build up in the human body over time.

After reviewing my blog and the evidence presented, I believe you will agree with me. I implore you to review this evidence thoughtfully and thoroughly. With Apeel, eating an organic apple is no longer just eating an organic apple. It’s something else entirely. Something which I, and thousands along with me, as evidenced by this petition which has gained almost 1,400 signatures in just five days, are not interested in.

I believe we share the same goal: to contribute to a healthful, honest world with a healthful, honest food supply. You have the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to this goal now. I encourage you to take advantage of it.

Respectfully,

Muneeza Ahmed

ADD YOUR VOICE by contacting Mom’s Organic Market using this link or this email.