copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-04-21): "The dangers of Apeel are hidden on search engines requiring digging to find out just how toxic the process of expanding the shelf life of the crop is with technology that also involves heavy metals," the post reads. [...] The post is about a produce coating made by Apeel Sciences, but the fact sheet describing health risks is for a cleaning solution called Apeel made by a different company. The ingredients in the coating have been recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as safe. [...] - Evans Vanodine, updated Oct. 12, 2022, Safety Data Sheet for Apeel - Apeel Sciences, Aug. 29, 2022, What’s in Apeel?
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2024-06-13): Does the Apeel produce coating Organipeel contain an "unidentified coating" that is falsely labeled as organic and that could be harmful to human health? No, that's not true: Though it may be applied to organic produce, it is neither considered an organic product by regulatory agencies nor does the company claim it to be. Orangipeel is a coating used to delay produce spoilage and is primarily made of a derivative from plant oils but it also contains citric acid. [...] Apeel is a company that produces a plant-derived post-harvest coating used to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. One of the company's products, Organipeel, is a coating that also contains citric acid, an organic compound found in citrus fruits that is utilized in the U.S. as an antimicrobial pesticide, fungicide, and virucide, among other uses. The safe-to-eat coating is also made of mono and diglycerides, naturally occurring lipids, that are derived from plant oils to "mimic the natural protection already existing on fruits and vegetables." "Apeel is a coating made from grapeseeds that contain mono- and diglycerides," Prest told Lead Stories. "The coating when applied to produce like apples, avocados, cucumbers, limes, and oranges reduces spoilage of the produce and also reduces the use of plastic wrap on produce because spoilage is minimized."
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-04-26): The concerns on social media surround a product called Edipeel, manufactured by a company called Apeel Sciences, which is described as a plant-based coating providing "a little extra peel on produce to slow the rate of water loss and oxidation—the primary causes of spoilage." The creators of the product, based in California, claim the peel is "completely edible, tasteless, and safe to eat" and that it can help produce stay fresh for twice the amount of time as produce without the coating. [...] However, many recent posts on social media, such as this post with more than 200 shares, claim: "The safety data sheet [for Apeel] says: "APEEL Hazard statements 318 Cause serious eye damage. [...] These safety warnings are for a completely different product—a hard surface cleaner, also called Apeel, produced by UK company Evans Vanodine.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-09-13): Apeel is derived from grapeseeds, another bit of savings as these are a "waste product" in producing wines and grape juice. Those seeds are chemically treated to provide purified mono and diglycerides, purified fats, which become the coating on those cucumbers. These purified fatty acids are widely used in foods as an emulsifier (allowing water and oils to mix), and the European Food Safety Organization (EFSA), often far tougher than US regulators, found: [...] Their objections to Apeel are with its chemical processing and the presence of trace amounts of heptane, ethyl acetate, and heavy metals, especially palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Heptane can be found in foods including duck, bacon, nectarines, and ethyl acetate in wine – Apeel has a small amount of each, equivalent to 10% of the allowed daily amount. [...] Organipeel is Apeel’s organic version and does contain citric acid, a constituent of citrus fruit, which is Organipeel's source. It seems if a fruit or vegetable component can be given a scary chemical name, they are bad.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-10-31): 3. Apeel contains heavy metals and petrochemical solvents, and it may contain trans fats. Apeel is made of purified monoglycerides and diglycerides, which are edible fatty acids commonly found in the often discarded parts of fruits and vegetables. These types of fatty acids may contain trans fats, which are known to cause obesity and metabolic syndrome. [...] Apeel contains lead, cadmium, arsenic, palladium, and mercury. It claims to be in small enough amounts to not negatively impact the consumer, thus the USDA’s "Generally Recognized as Safe" classification.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2024-07-25): These posts rehash viral claims from April 2023 that questioned the safety of Apeel, alleging that the product contained heavy metals and other harmful chemicals. At the time, multiple fact-checking organizations found these claims to be false. [...] Several posts (examples here and here) claimed that Apeel contains 99.34% of "secret" or "other" undisclosed ingredients. This exact figure appears in a 2019 registration of another product from Apeel Sciences named Organipeel with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Organipeel is a version of the Apeel coating intended to be used as a pesticide for organic food. [...] Viral posts claiming that Apeel, an edible plant-based coating that protects fruits and vegetables from spoiling, is unsafe to consume are inaccurate and misleading. Apeel doesn’t contain toxic ingredients. The product is made from glycerides extracted from grapeseed that are naturally present in certain foods and are recognized as a safe food additive in the U.S. and Europe.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-05-16): But what else? Are there unwanted chemicals or natural substances that could cause an allergic reaction? According to Organic Eye, Apeel is registered as a fungicide and might possibly "unbeknownst to vegans and those with religious and other dietary restrictions, contain animal and shellfish products and other potential allergens. At least one is a carcinogen.". Part 3 of the 2019 GRAS notice suggests below-maximum amounts of grapeseed extract residues including: ethyl acetate, heptane, palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. Consumers are balking at the idea of adding even the smallest trace amounts of heavy metals to otherwise pure produce. [...] Is it wild to think that there could be a hidden agenda or alternative effects? Some consumers are growing concerned that Apeel coated produce is off-gassing toxic substances. They report bugs dropping dead in the general area where the produce has been stored. Are these observations due to correlation or causation? Does it matter? [...] It's not just the manufacturers of Apeel that have organic consumers concerned, it it the blurring of lines when it comes to oversight of the organic label protections. The once-independent National Organic Standards Board has become primarily comprised of Organic Trade Association lobbyists and other corporate interests who might make choices based on profit more than the health and safety. This undermines the confidence of organic consumers who rely on the organic label as a representation of natural, chemical-free food.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-07-19): Where we currently stand is that Apeel’s Organipeel coating, which has been registered with the EPA as a fungicide, is comprised of 0.66% citric acid and 99.34% of a formulation that is undisclosed. [...] "We do not allow Apeel and have notified our produce supply chain partners that we would not accept any organic or non-organic produce that is treated with Apeel coatings. This is not something that we want in our food supply," said Alan Lewis, the company’s vice president of regulatory affairs. [...] "Organic consumers should not underestimate their power, and they need to tell the retailers where they shop to ban Apeel, as well as other questionable materials or practices. Their voices matter," added OrganicEye’s Mark Kastel.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2022-06-13): Fact check: Edible food coating Apeel doesn't contain toxic ingredients; its ingredients are recognized as safe for use in foods. [...] Fact check: Compounds in Apeel’s edible food coating deemed safe by FDA. Fact check: Apeel produce coating edible, considered safe by FDA.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2024-09-25): Disinformation Campaign [edit]In the Spring of 2023, Apeel was targeted with a disinformation campaign online. The disinformation initially conflated Apeel’s primary product with a similarly named household cleaning product and maintained the ingredients were harmful to humans, even though the companies and products are completely unrelated.[16] [17] The disinformation also inaccurately inflates Bill Gates’ involvement with the company. While the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation provided early grant funding, Bill Gates has no involvement with nor any ownership stake in Apeel.[18] Further false information has appeared in social media posts claiming Apeel’s edible food coatings are "toxic" to humans. However, the US FDA, global regulatory agencies, and other food and nutrition experts have affirmed the safety of Apeel’s products for consumption by consumers.[19] Additional posts have falsely claimed that heavy metals were being intentionally added to and left in Apeel’s products, incorrectly interpreting the data reported in Apeel’s historical GRAS notices, which are not representative of how Apeel’s ingredients are currently manufactured (i.e., using standard manufacturing processes for mono- and diglycerides). Apeel does not add heavy metals as an ingredient during the manufacturing process.[20] Agricultural feedstocks have naturally occurring levels of heavy metal impurities due to the uptake of these substances from the surrounding soil, air, and water.[21] However, the production and processing of these agricultural feedstocks must remove such impurities to levels below their regulated safe limits.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-04-19): The Instagram post shared what it said are safety sheets warning of the dangers of Apeel. But they are from Evans Vanodine, a company in the United Kingdom. The company sells a hard surface cleaning product called Apeel. The company does say that the cleaning solution leaves a fresh citrus scent, but unlike Apeel Sciences’ product, it is not used on fruits and vegetables, as the company’s product page states. A separate safety sheet warns the Apeel cleaning product could damage eyes and skin if used improperly. [...] An Instagram post warns that Bill Gates is coating your organic produce with a dangerous chemical. Although the Gates Foundation provided some funding to Apeel Sciences, the maker of an edible coating used to prolong produce’s shelf life, there’s no evidence that the plant-based product is dangerous. We rate the claim False.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2012-10-09): Apeel claims their post-harvest sprays extend produce shelf-life. One of their products, OrganipeelTM is listed by the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) for use "as a fungicide for post-harvest use in organic production or food processing and handling" according to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) spokesperson.1 Apeel products are being used on both conventional (as EdipeelTM) and organic produce (as Organipeel) including avocados, citrus fruits, apples, and cucumbers. In terms of ingredients, Apeel states that their products are "made of purified mono- and diglycerides that have been derived from plant oils" and adds "Apeel for organic produce contains citric acid."2 According to Organipeel’s EPA pesticide product label, citric acid makes up 0.66 percent of the ingredients—the other 99.34 percent of ingredients remain a mystery. But the ingredients for products used on organic produce should never be a secret. [...] To process grapeseed oil into mono- and diglycerides, Apeel products go through an industrial process that inevitably leaves traces of processing agents and heavy metals.3 In their request to the FDA for recognition as a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) product, Apeel states that they use ethyl acetate and heptane as solvents. They also list traces of heavy metals including palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Though trace amounts may not sound like much, is any amount of heavy metals added to fruits and veggies okay? And what about those fruit and veggie lovers who eat more than the projected average amount per day?
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-05-02): "The dietary lipids which compose the ingredients in Apeel are not a source of trans fatty acids. Further, Apeel products have been analytically tested to confirm the absence of trans fats," said a blog post the company published on April 17, 2023, about Edipeel's safety. [...] The TikTok post that used the AP as a source claimed Apeel Sciences said it had a safety sheet for the products, but that an AP fact-check found it wasn't true. The fact-check from the news organization did not say that. It instead found a safety document showing a cleaning product named Apeel could cause eye damage and allergic skin reactions. The product had no relation to Apeel Science or Edipeel.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2024-09-19): Some people who I have shared this information with have not been so fast to see the harmful effects of putting this on our foods. Why may you ask? Because the website for ‘Apeel’ says it is made with plants and only has one ingredient. Therefore, they come to the conclusion it is not so bad. Let’s use this analogy, that would be like asking the people who created GMO food, if the food is harmful for us to eat… of course they are going to say it is safe and lie to get it to the public! Can we use common sense here and not use the information from the creator of the ‘made for profit’ item if it is good for us? [...] - It cannot be washed off - No information campaign or consent was ever done, they just quietly started spraying our food with this toxic substance - This is a creation from Bill Gates, the same person who gave us GMOs - Labeling laws vary from state to state and country to country - It is made from diglycerides of fatty acids, which means it contains trans fats - The ‘Apeel’ substance is going to be heated before putting on the produce, so if you are eating all raw, will your produce really be raw anymore? https://patents.google.com/patent/US9957215B2/en - The produce is also being ‘sanitized’ before the ‘Apeel’ is applied: https://patenent/US20170332650A1/ents.google.com/pat - Apeel describes how they apply voltage in their coating process. The goal is to turn the liquid spray into a polymer like wax or plastic: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10239069B2/en
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-08-02): As is so often the case with "proprietary" industrial products like toxic perfumes (read more in my blog on microscopic toxins in perfumes), natural flavors (read more in my blog, Hidden Sources of MSG), and other food additives, the actual ingredients in Apeel are far from clear unless you do your own research. [...] The assurance Apeel gives us is typical corporate jargon: "Apeel products do not contain hazardous ingredients that will cause harm to people or the environment within the context of their intended use." [...] According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document, Apeel’s product is also .66% citric acid. Link here. So for anyone avoiding this widely-used but toxic food additive, Apeel is a no-go.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-05-29): Apeel is composed of "food-grade mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids derived from plants." The FDA categorizes monoglycerides as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) food additives and ingredients, indicating that they do not pose an immediate health risk. Currently, food producers typically use monoglycerides and diglycerides in small quantities, making it difficult to determine the impact of consuming large amounts of these fats on human health. Monoglycerides contain small traces of trans fats, which occur naturally in various types of meat, dairy, and, to a lesser extent, plant- or nut-based oils. While small amounts of trans fats are not concerning, consuming significant quantities of trans fats has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. [...] The product specifications provided by Apeel in their FDA submission outline the components and quantities present in the product being sprayed on our food. Consuming the upper estimated amount of Apeel, which is 218 milligrams per day from both treated fruits and vegetables for approximately 12.5 years, would result in 1 mg of mercury, 1 mg of cadmium, 2 mg of lead, 3 mg of arsenic, 10 mg of palladium, 22.8 g of heptane, and 20.38 g of ethyl acetate accumulating in the brain and body. Apeel claims that you would need to consume nearly 30,000 apples to ingest one kilogram of Apeel.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-11-21): CLAIM: A safety data sheet for Apeel Sciences, a company that makes a protective coating used to keep fruits and vegetables fresh, shows that its product can cause eye damage and allergic skin reactions. [...] The tweet includes a screenshot of a safety data sheet for a product called "Apeel." The document includes "Hazard statements" that include: "Causes serious eye damage," "May cause an allergic skin reaction" and "Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects." [...] The coating consists of purified monoglycerides and diglycerides, which Du pointed out are also found in products such as infant formula; the compounds are designated by the Food and Drug Administration as a "generally recognized as safe", or GRAS, food additive. In the U.S., Apeel’s coating is used on products such as avocados and apples.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2024-06-28): - Carcinogenic and toxic compounds from manufacturing process: In Apeel’s GRAS submission, the company discloses some of its industrial manufacturing process for its edible coating products. In order to manufacture the mono- and diglycerides which are the main ingredients of all Apeel products, there is toxic residue from ethyl acetate, heptane, palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury which are used in the extraction process of grapeseed leaves. These toxic compounds and solvents have been linked to a host of various health conditions. [...] Now that we’ve evaluated all the dangers and risks of consuming Edipeel, let’s take a closer look at the organic produce solution Organipeel. Organipeel is Apeel’s OMRI-listed product for organic produce. In 2023, the company finally disclosed the ingredients of this product. This product utilizes citric acid and sodium bicarbonate (e.g., baking soda) along with the same mono- and diglycerides used in Edipeel. The mono- and diglycerides in this formula are said to distribute the citric acid onto the surface of the produce. [...] Other Organipeel Concerns - Safety Concerns: Apeel Organipeel is registered as a pesticide with the EPA. Not only does the registration documentation fail to list the full ingredients of this product, but the EPA is also requiring a caution on the label that states: "Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco, or using the toilet." Yet this protective coating is supposedly designed to be eaten and is marketed as safe.
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-07-12): A June 1 video shared on Rumble shows a woman talking about the supposed dangers of Apeel, a produce coating product. The video is titled "Apeel, Toxic Metals and Heavy Metal Poisoning in Food." [...] The levels of heavy metals found in Apeel are below the maximum limits established by the Food and Drug Administration. Heavy metals are not used to make the product, but the company says the plants from which commercial suppliers derive the coating’s ingredients can absorb them from the environment. [...] - Jenny Du, July 7, Phone interview with USA TODAY - Apeel, accessed July 10, Apeel Product Safety - FDA, June 7, CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 - FDA, Jan. 24, Environmental Contaminants in Food - Michigan State University Center for Research on Food Ingredient Safety, Jan. 23, In the news – Heavy Metals in Food - Experientia supplementum, 2012, Heavy Metals Toxicity and the Environment - ScienceDirect, accessed July 7, Mono- And Diglycerides of Fatty Acids - an overview - Emulsifiers in Food Technology, Oct. 24, 2014, Mono- and Diglycerides
Claim: Apeel contains harmful ingredients (Alison Steinberg, Social media users, 2024-06-26)
Evidence (2023-08-09): As anyone with allergies knows, not knowing what you are being exposed to can be deadly. While the Apeel manufacturer claims its fruit coatings are free of "major allergens," the list of allergens that the FDA requires manufacturers to declare is well known to be limited. Because Apeel’s products and other companies’ edible coatings have "proprietary" formulations, it’s impossible to discern if that food may be safe for a sensitive individual. Furthermore, mono- and diglycerides like those in Apeel products contain small amounts of trans fat. While mono- and diglycerides are considered safe, nutrition experts suggest limited intake – often by telling consumers to eat more whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables! [...] Contact with toxic residues or substances: The sourcing and manufacture of edible coatings can leave toxic residues in the finished product. These levels are required to be below the FDA’s set limits, but there may be health risks associated with low-grade chronic exposure to residues and contaminants. According to Apeel’s GRAS Notice, its edible coatings may have residues including ethyl acetate, heptane, palladium, arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. The FDA concluded that the residues of these substances were below their required limits.
Claim: The polar bear population has been growing. Polar bears are thriving even where sea ice is diminishing. (Anonymous, 2020-05-05)
Evidence (2020-05-05): There is no scientific evidence that the global polar bear population is growing in size. Climate change induced losses in sea ice habitat is the most important threat to polar bear survival. Two polar bear subpopulations have already been negatively impacted by sea ice loss.