Michelle Pfeiffer is blasting the appeal of Apeel.
The “Dark Shadows” actress blasted the “very concerning” food spray brand, Apeel Sciences, via her Instagram Stories on Thursday after the brand became FDA-approved for use on USDA-certified organic produce.
“Apeel (an edible, plant-based coating designed to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables) was just approved and now ‘organic’ produce is coated in something we cannot see or wash off,” Pfeiffer wrote, adding a final “very concerning” note.
She followed up the post with an edited list of grocers that would not be selling products that use Apeel, urging her followers to check out the full list at the link included atop the post.
In her primary post, she re-shared a reel that read: “Organic Produce is no longer safe. Bill Gates’ Apeel just got approved for USDA-Certified Organic.”
It’s worth noting that Gates is not associated with the food tech brand.
Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur James Rogers, Apeel was awarded two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2012 and 2015 that totaled less than $1.1 million.
The brand also released a public message further distancing themselves from Gates in April 2024.
“Bill Gates has zero involvement or ownership in Apeel. We’re a team who value honesty and transparency, dedicated to enhancing food accessibility and sustainability.”
Also, while Pfeiffer claims Apeel’s coating is unable to be seen or washed off, the brand’s website argues the contrary, saying it “can be removed with warm water and a gentle scrub, either by hand or with a vegetable brush.”
The coating is crafted from “mono- and diglycerides — ingredients universally found in the peels, pulp, and seeds of plants.”
“These ingredients are also naturally formed in our bodies as we digest normal fats, and are also the same ingredients found in common everyday foods, like salad dressing, pastas, bread, chocolate, and even baby formula. And,very little material is used to protect produce,” reads the site.
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