Tea at Trianon: Apeel

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, January 27, 2025

Apeel

Now we have something called Apeel. What is Apeel? From PCC Community Markets:

“I’ve recently heard about an alarming coating that is sprayed onto produce to extend the visual preservation of produce (organic and conventional) made by a company called Apeel. I need to know that PCC isn’t allowing produce treated with this coating. Thank you for your time.”

PCC responds: We understand your concern about a new coating being used on foods and have received several questions asking if Apeel products are harmful.

What is Apeel made of?

 “Edipeel,” produced by Apeel Science, is a plant-based, FDA-approved coating derived from the peels, seeds and pulp of fruit and vegetables. The coating, as well as a version meant for organic foods labeled as “Organipeel,” is meant to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables….To our knowledge and our supplier’s knowledge, no producers or packers in our supply chain are using this substance on their produce. Apeel’s coatings are not widespread in the organic marketplace, so customers are generally unlikely to encounter it when they shop organic. In our discussions with folks up the supply chain and experts in the organic community, Apeel is mostly used only at the request of distributors, and we know that ours are not asking growers to apply it. (Read more.)

Washing fruit is not enough. From The Guardian:

A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.
The paper, published on Wednesday in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, comes amid ongoing debate over the extent of pesticide contamination of food, and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues.
In May, Consumer Reports said it had determined that 20% of 59 different fruit and vegetable categories carried pesticide residues at levels that posed “significant risks” to consumers, based on an analysis of data gathered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The central aim of the new paper is to share the technical details of a process the authors developed for enhanced trace detection of pesticides in foods. But the underlying finding about the ineffectiveness of washing fruit is important for consumers who may be relying on food safety practices that are insufficient, the authors said. (Read more.)