{"id":794,"date":"2013-07-01T10:19:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T10:19:42","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2015-12-06T05:57:15","modified_gmt":"2015-12-06T05:57:15","slug":"wax-on-fruit-why-they-do-it-what-it-is-how-it-could-make-you-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/articles\/wax-on-fruit-why-they-do-it-what-it-is-how-it-could-make-you-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"Wax on Fruit: Why they do it, what it is, & how it could make you sick"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wax on Fruit<\/span><\/h1>\n

Why they do it, what it is, & how it could make you sick<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Wax<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I was a kid,\u00a0 a common party favor was those awful wax lips.\u00a0 Do you remember them? Sometimes they were vampire teeth and sometimes hillbilly rotting teeth&\u2010so there was generally a bruhaha over who got the vixen\u2019s ruby red lips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wax\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What, really were you supposed to do with those, anyway?\u00a0 They weren\u2019t candy, and yet you were supposed to put them in your mouth until they melted, and I imagine more than one mom had them ground into her carpet or shoved under a couch cushion.\u00a0 \u00a0I get a tummy ache just thinking about my past melted-wax-consumption.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0This blog is not about that.\u00a0 It is more about the shuddering sensation I get when I think of that nasty wax coating on grocery store fruit.\u00a0 In a country where everything (but GMO, that is) has a labeling requirement, why do we not know what they\u2019re smearing on our lovely green apples? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ignorance might be bliss, unless you are on a special diet or prefer to avoid eating fossil fuels.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Why do they use wax on fruit?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Apparently, the wax will seal in moisture.\u00a0 Have you ever bitten into a grainy, dry apple?\u00a0 Gak.\u00a0 It also works as a preservative and increases the shelf life.\u00a0 It\u2019s true that your waxed fruit would alternatively keep in a root cellar very well wax-free, but the grocery store storage and display does not provide those conditions.\u00a0 People are accustomed to the shiny red freshness in April, oblivious to the fact that apples do not grow in the spring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Sometimes waxes and coatings are used to protect shine or another facet of appearance.\u00a0 Some fruits are susceptible to permeable gases like CO\u00b2, O\u00b2, or something called ethylene (Thompson, p. 50), like apples and papayas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The \u201cfruit coating\u201d is sprayed onto the fruit (sometimes it is a dipping process) with the main intent to \u201csuppress respiration\u201d (the breathable skins release moisture), which keeps the fruit or vegetable tasting more freshly-picked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Are there health risks to the wax on fruit?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Let\u2019s ask this question: do you believe that the food industry takes loving concern to meticulously remove the pesticides from the food before it hits your store shelf?\u00a0 After all, if the pesticides were only for the growth of the fruit or vegetable and are not needed in your local Piggily Wiggily, why not remove them?\u00a0 Okay, so here\u2019s the followup\u2014if they did not remove the pesticides prior to serving them to you, do you think they removed them prior to waxing the fruit or vegetable?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Here\u2019s a not-so-fun fact for you: over 20 million children between 1-5 years old ingest at least 8 pesticides daily.\u00a0<\/strong> Another study found 16 different pesticides in 8 baby food products (Cook, p. 71).\u00a0 So do you really think that your foods have been cleaned prior to the wax sealant?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Spraying<\/p>\n

\u00a0I do have a serious concern with the fact that the substances are not identified for the consumer.\u00a0 On the list below, you will see things as benign as wood rosin to things much scarier like unknown animal byproducts (sperm oil, shellac) or even yet\u2014heavy coal tar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What is the wax on fruit?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>First, I am appalled that there is not an allergy warning applied to the fruit.\u00a0 Many wax coatings may include animal or insect parts, corn, or wheat. \u00a0 But I will try to cover those as I go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0This is the hardest part of the blog for me; I pulled up the FDA food processing guidelines.\u00a0 Not only is that a snoozy read, but it is just downright disgusting<\/strong>. \u00a0I will try to sum up: the allowed substances are a\u2019plenty.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure it would be readable to list them all, so if you want to read them all, I suggest going to the riveting FDA guidelines.<\/a>\u00a0 I will instead sum up by mentioning the ones I found surprising, confusing, or disgusting. \u00a0I should note that I found this list specifically regarding citrus fruit (in which you usually do not eat the peel, unless you grate some for occasional baking). I struggled to find a list for fruit you might eat peel-n-all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Sodium Lauryl Sulfate<\/strong>\u2014isn\u2019t this the stuff in your kid\u2019s bubble bath? I mean, the bubble bath you used to buy, until you found out<\/a> that it had sodium lauryl sulfate in it, anyway? Don\u2019t worry\u2014your kids are getting to ingest it on their fruits and veggies.\u00a0 It is a \u201cfilm former\u201d so it would be used in conjunction with many of the other chemicals listed on that super-enjoyable FDA guideline.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Wood Rosin<\/strong>\u2014this is one that might appear on your organic fruits and vegetables, too.\u00a0 Al \u00a0Natural. <\/span><\/p>\n

A whole list of \u201cco-polymer\u201d substances,<\/strong> my personal fave being \u00a0vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 That is for anyone who used to chew on the headrest of mom\u2019s old station wagon.\u00a0 Gotta love the vinyl taste, right?\u00a0 Someone please tell me that the double-use of the word vinyl is accidental! Well, it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 The base chemical was originally called \u201cSaran\u201d, as in\u2014yup\u2014Saran wrap.\u00a0 Same stuff<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The next one is…well, I\u2019m citing chapter & verse because you won\u2019t believe it and I thought it was an illegal substance so I am confused.<\/span><\/p>\n

Food and Drug Administration, HHS, \u00a7 172.215.\u00a0 Ready?\u00a0 Sperm Oil<\/strong>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Sperm<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It\u2019s a waxy substance obtained from whales and your great grandpa might have trimmed his lanterns with it.\u00a0 There is an international ban on whaling and so it is no longer legally sold from what I could find online.\u00a0 It is possible, I suppose, that it is of some other unspecified origin and not from whales. \u00a0\u00a0Otherwise, the FDA guideline and the International protection on whales seem irreconcilable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Coumarone-indene resin<\/strong>\u2014not for the flesh of fruits that you actually consume, but for things like oranges, lemons, and the like.\u00a0 What is this resin? To quote, \u201cThe food additive is manufactured by the polymerization of a crude, heavy coal-tar solvent\u201d Keep that in mind if you like to grate your orange peel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0There are many, many more.\u00a0 Please know that if you\u00a0 have a food allergy to gluten or corn, the FDA warns that fruit with these waxes may not be safe for you.\u00a0 Do not expect a label, though!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wax<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span> What fruits and vegetables get waxed?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Here is one list<\/a> that I found<\/span>, but I have added to it through other resources:<\/span><\/p>\n