How old is an Apple in your grocery store?
An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away.
We have all heard that, whether you are in Charlotte, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina or any other region, city or state in the United States.
Well, how do we get apples year around?
Did you know that apple you just ate is 5 months to nearly a year old and some are 14 moths old? In the US, apples are harvested from August to November.
From the US Guardian - published Jul 13, 2003
“Harvested August to November, the fruit is placed in bins submerged in water so the apples float out.
At this 'pre-sort' stage, defective 'culls' are spotted and removed. Soap and chlorine are applied and rinsed off with hot water. Brushes clean and dry the fruit.
In the US, wax is applied to improve sheen and seal in moisture, after which the apples are hot-air dried. They pass along a conveyor belt and are photographed by two cameras; the images are analysed by computer for consistency of colour, shape and size.
The fruit is graded and arranged in trays (Class 1) or bagged (apples for processing) - both by machine - then put in boxes and weighed.
Loaded on pallets, the fruit goes into cold storage - a sealed room where its respiration rate is slowed. Fruit for imminent consumption (November to January) is chilled to 0C. In longer-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, the oxygen level is additionally lowered from 21 per cent-1.2 per cent, putting the apples to sleep for 6-12 months. “
From the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, we learn this:
Apples not intended for fresh market are stored at low temperatures, with low levels of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide. While this slows the apples’ natural production of ethylene and its effects, fungicides must often be applied to prevent fungal rots from taking hold. But since its commercial debut in 2002 under the name “SmartFresh,” 1-MCP has in some cases diminished the need for such treatment.
According to Martin Lindstrom, author of Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, the average supermarket apple is 14 months old.
This is unsurprising to me, but may be shocking to you. The sad part, this research INCLUDED Organic apples. Yes Organic, they are just as old.
Do you honestly trust a “fresh” food that is at least 5 months old and may be up to the average of 14 months old?
That is the question we MUST be asking ourselves. Are we spending our food dollars toward products that will fuel our bodies and contribute to health and wellness or are we buying a marketing campaign?