Does Apeel use carcinogenic chemicals on fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh? No. The viral claim is fake

Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet. They provide vital nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which support overall well-being and reduce the risk of chronic diseases and boost immunity and maintain healthy skin. 

Many times it was claimed that the fruits and vegetables are coated with pesticides or wax to give it a shiny texture which makes the produce appealing to the eyes of a buyer. 

Against this backdrop, a social media post claiming that ‘Apeel’ or ‘Organapeel’ uses carcinogenic substances on the fruits and vegetables to keep them fresh. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Apeel uses mono and diglycerides derived from plants which can be easily washed off and cause no damage to health. Apeel is a plant-based coating that’s applied to fresh fruits and vegetables to extend their shelf life and reduce food waste.

A social media user wrote, “Stay away from the ‘apeel’ or the ‘organapeel’ label on your produce at the grocery store. ( even in natural food stores.) It is a Bill Gate and WEF backed carcinogenic being sprayed on the produce that cannot be washed off.”

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Fact Check- 

We checked Apeel’s website for information on what they use to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. It was mentioned that, to improve the shelf life and extend quality, Apeel uses plant-based protection on its produce which outperforms other post-harvest coatings and waxes. This coating slows the rate of oxidation and reduces the water loss resulting in the longevity of the fruit life. 

Apeel’s products for conventional produce are made of plant-based mono- and diglycerides. Their product for organic produce includes citric acid, and adds that to baking soda and mono- and diglycerides. It uses a distillation process (pressure and heat) to extract mono- and diglycerides. Their manufacturing process does not use any solvents, ensuring its absence in the final products. 

It does not add heavy metals to the products and removes as many as possible during production. Apeel also assures that the products on the fruits and vegetables can be removed by rinsing with water or by gentle scrub. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had declared mono- and diglycerides as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). The ingredient meets the specifications of the Food Chemicals Codex. 

According to the Code of Federal Regulations report, Mono- and diglycerides are composed of a mixture of glyceryl mono- and diesters, and small quantities of triesters. These compounds are made from fats, oils, or fat-derived acids sourced from various edible materials. The primary fatty acids involved in the process are lauric, linoleic, myristic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. The production process involves reacting glycerin with fatty acids or triglycerides in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. The resulting mixture is purified to finally produce a product containing at least 90% glycerides, along with some free fatty acids and glycerin.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. The Apeel products used on fruits and vegetables to increase their shelf life are mono- and diglycerides that are derived from plants, specially grape seeds. These are not carcinogenic and are approved by FDA and marked as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).