Is the Addictive APEEL of Convenient Solutions Accelerating Our Demise?
Can we PLEASE think twice about science that defies nature?
Bill Gates has sponsored a new sustainability “solution” for us so we are spared the inconvenience of fruit that ripens at the speed of nature. From Apeel’s website:
Learning from nature - mimicking the cuticle layer.
Every plant on Earth has a peel that protects it. The top layer of the peel is called the cuticle layer, which keeps moisture in while allowing the plant to breathe without drying out. Apeel protects fresh produce by forming a thin edible “peel” on the fruit's surface, similar to the plant’s cuticle layer.
Thank goodness $cience came along to introduce “edible plant-based materials” into our food and address this problem of oxygen getting into produce. Phew!
I joke, but I see this kind of marketing all the time. It works beautifully as long as no one stops to think too hard about it.
It’s not that the idea isn’t rooted in good intentions. According to Apeel’s entry on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants page, its stated purpose is as follows:
To extend the shelf-life of crops without refrigeration and protect them from being eaten by pests by developing a molecular camouflage that uses cutin from plant extracts to create an edible, ultrathin barrier on the crop surfaces.
Sounds noble. And scientific. And here’s how Apeel founder, James Rogers arrived arrived at this idea:
It’s an interesting story. And I’m a fan of dot-connecting in general. But I do have reservations about entrepreneurial problem solving as it likely limits the scope of solutions to lucrative and marketable products and ideas. It’s easy to lose sight of environmental and health repercussions when you’re fixated on finding the next billion dollar idea and are dependent on celebrities and philantropaths to make it happen.
In these scenarios, ethics often become an obstacle. Meaningful change is hard.
Exploiting the Power of Nature
Consider Apeel’s video entitled Apeel: Nature and How We See It:
Most people look at this and see an apple. At Apeel, we see a database…
we see ways to use the power of nature to make a difference in the world…
And therein lies a big part of the problem.
Harnessing the power of nature when you don’t have adequate respect for nature is the exploitation of nature. I worry that this is what $cience has become. Apeel appears to use technology to try to selectively duplicate pieces of nature so it can override nature.
History has shown us that this can backfire. (Remember how Oxitec’s genetically-engineered mosquitoes weren’t supposed to produce viable offspring… and how we were assured that mRNA vaccines were “safe and effective”…Oops!)
Wealthy and powerful people and corporations, who are very much removed from the the natural world and the human condition, have reduced our problems to a math equation. This equation ignores the impacts that giant corporations, industrial farming and genetically-modified crops have had on local food production and distribution. Their “solutions” assume that food is produced very far away and must be transported to a store before we ever see it. And nature is a “database” that can be discussed in board rooms and reproduced in laboratories.
Where are the local small farms in this equation?
Furthermore, these entities have demonstrated an inability to take responsibility for the environmental and health repercussions that result from their short-sightedness. Or maybe it’s not short-sightedness… since creating solutions to subsequent problems is a lucrative business that requires our increasing dependence on the next technological advance, which they readily create.
Beyond the Marketing
I’m not opposed to applying science to find solutions. And it’s possible this is a great solution. But I want to know more.
So far, this is all I can find about the ingredients:
Apeel is composed entirely of purified monoglycerides and diglycerides, edible compounds that can be found in a variety of foods. They are safe to eat as verified by regulatory authorities around the world, including Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
I guess my first question would be, are monoglycerides and diglycerides safe? Healthy?
In fact, they are so safe they can be found in products designed for the most sensitive populations, including infant formula and nutrition shakes for the elderly.
I can’t help but wonder if the folks on Apeel’s marketing team are aware of the ongoing baby formula lawsuits that link baby formula to necrotizing enterocolitis… or the class action lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories, claiming that it misrepresents that its Ensure nutrition drinks are healthy, despite a sugar content that scientifically demonstrates otherwise.
And in response to the question “Is Apeel a chemical?”
… we’re directed to this moment of zen, during which Apeel co-founder Jenny Du explains that “everything around us is chemicals.”
Hmmm…
Do I know this particular product will cause direct harm? No.
Do I believe Apeel and all the regulatory agencies that have approved its product have thought everything through? Also No. The FDA, WHO and Health Canada have done little to earn any credibility to anyone who has been paying attention.
But First, Informed Consent
Until I learn more about this product, I want nothing to do with Apeel fruit.
But it’s already out there.
The grocery store where I just shopped is one of the providers of Apeel organic apples.
Begging the question… what did I just eat?
Hopefully, all of the products are labeled. I just checked my apples for Apeel stickers and there are none.
A Bigger Picture
I’m a working mother of three living in New Jersey. It’s safe to say, I have a rather unhealthy dependence on modern convenience. It’s something I grapple with. And I consider the grappling and important part of my personal growth.
I’ve written about this before…
I suspect that "progress" was the seed that blossomed into this world of instant gratification, which has quietly drained us of patience, creativity and inspiration. We've spent the last several decades working to make life easier. At first it was inspiration and innovation - we had this wonderful idea that we could improve our quality of life and we worked to create these brilliant modern conveniences… Home-cooked meals became TV dinners became Ensure. Conversations became e-mails became texts.
Giving the people what they want has changed the people. We may actually be less of ourselves, thanks to modern technology and a world of conveniences….What happens when we make a habit of seeking out the "no brainers"? Doesn't it stand to reason that, after making decision after decision without actually engaging our minds, hearts, and consciences; we may eventually have trouble accessing them? Thinking, exploring, feeling, discovering - they are activities I want to embrace. And, while ease and speed can be great, they can also deprive us of opportunities to practice patience and develop problem-solving skills among other things. Without those, we’re increasingly dependent on a quick fix and outside resources and we lose out on the satisfaction of overcoming life’s challenges.
I’m longing for cultivation… of character, solutions, soil. Meaningful effort takes more time, and there are fewer “get rich quick” opportunities, but I suspect that’s where the real healing is. For our bodies, our spirits and the earth.
So no thank you, Apeel. Bill Gates can keep his thin skin.
I’m starting a garden instead.
At this point, I don’t trust any of the self proclaimed experts, politicians, medical professionals or anyone else who has my best interests at heart
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