If you’ve been hanging around the internet lately, you might have seen the word Apeel floating around. And no, it’s not a new beauty serum or a fancy app to help peel potatoes faster.
Apeel is an invisible coating applied to fruit and veg to extend their shelf life and reduce food waste. Sounds okay in theory – less waste is a good thing, right? – but here are a few things the manufacturers don’t always shout about…
What’s in Apeel?
Apeel is made from a blend of compounds including:
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Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (INS 471) — industrial fats often extracted using solvents like heptane or ethyl acetate
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Carboxylic acids, ethers, esters, thiols, amides, alkenyl groups, waxes, salts, and in some formulations, trans fats
These are not ingredients you can easily wash off, and they’re very different from the natural wax coatings some fruits produce themselves.
INS 471 (often labelled as “E471”) is commonly found in processed foods like margarine, ice cream, and commercial bread. While it's a permitted food additive in many countries, concerns have been raised about its links to gut health issues and inflammation, particularly in relation to emulsifiers more broadly.
What About Organipeel?
You might have also come across Organipeel, a version of Apeel developed for organic produce.
Here’s what we learned:
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Organipeel was never approved for Certified Organic use in Australia.
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In the US, it was used on some “organic” produce — but only as a post-harvest fungicide, not a general coating.
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As of 2023, Organipeel was discontinued. The company acknowledged that it didn’t meet USDA Organic certification standards and withdrew it from use while exploring a more compliant version.
The Good News
While Apeel (INS 471) is approved for use on conventional produce in Australia (thanks to a 2021 FSANZ decision), it is not approved for Certified Organic fruit or veg.
Phew. Big sigh of relief.
Still, with no labelling requirements for unpackaged produce, it’s up to businesses like ours — and people like you — to ask the tough questions and demand transparency.
How We Keep Apeel Off Your Plate
People often ask us:
“How do you know your produce is Apeel-free?”
Here’s how:
1. We Ask.
Every farmer or supplier we work with completes a detailed survey before we bring their food on board. We ask directly about the use of Apeel, coatings, sprays, and synthetic inputs.
We’re upfront about our values, and we make it crystal clear: no chemicals, no coatings, no compromise.
2. We Keep Checking.
We don’t set and forget. We follow up at least annually to make sure nothing has changed. Our lead farmer, Kelly Strow from Sandy Creek Gourmet Produce, also visits other farms regularly and sees firsthand the great work they’re doing.
3. We Walk the Talk.
If we ever find out a farm or supplier has started using Apeel or similar treatments, we stop working with them. No matter how good the produce looks.
We’d rather go without than compromise on trust.
Our Promise to You
Much of our produce is Certified Organic — which means Organipeel is automatically excluded. But for everything else, we rely on transparent, honest conversations with growers who care as much as we do.
We only work with people who believe that food should be grown as nature intended — with soil, sun, rain and love. No coatings. No synthetic preservatives. No secret layers.
Taste the Difference
When you bite into one of our apples or chop a fresh tomato, you’re not just tasting good food — you’re tasting the trust between farmer and eater. Our produce doesn’t need synthetic coatings to stay fresh.
It’s picked fresh. It’s packed with care. And it’s delivered to you just as nature intended.
Let’s keep it that way.
References:
Skotnicka, M., et al. (2023). Monoacylglycerides and diacylglycerides: Associations with cardiometabolic health and gut microbiota. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37673430
Davis, N. (2023). The truth about emulsifiers: gut health and the microbiome. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/29/the-truth-about-emulsifiers-gut-health-microbiome
Live Love Fruit – Is Apeel Safe? https://livelovefruit.com/is-apeel-safe
Unique Wholefood – Are You Eating Plastic on Your Fresh Produce? https://www.uniquewholefood.com.au/blogs/news/are-you-eating-plastic-on-your-fresh-produce-meet-apeel
