Many Hass Avocado Halves on Black, Whole Sharwil, Brown Avocados Cut, Fresh Alligator Pear, Guacamole Ingredient, Persea Americana Avocado Fruit Top View

Florence Stories Fact Check

What Is Apeel? Fact vs Fiction on the Produce Coating in Florence SC

By HelloFlorenceSC · Published October 23, 2026 · Last updated October 23, 2026

Quick answer

Apeel is a plant-based coating that some growers and packers put on produce like avocados, limes and cucumbers to slow spoilage. The FDA reviewed the company's safety notice and said it had no questions, and Apeel says the coating can be rinsed and gently scrubbed off. The main complaint from critics is disclosure: a shopper at a bin of loose avocados has no ingredient list to read. This page covers what is true, what is misleading, and what grocery chains have said publicly. We have not confirmed what any individual Florence store stocks.

What is Apeel?

Apeel Sciences, based in Goleta, California, makes a thin coating from mono- and diglycerides, which are fats found in plants. It is applied after harvest to slow moisture loss and oxidation. The company says avocados can last up to 50% longer and limes up to three times longer. Those figures come from Apeel, not from independent testing.

What's true

The coating is real and has been sold in the U.S. for years. Cornucopia, an organic advocacy group, confirmed in 2023 that it was in use on conventional avocados, limes, English cucumbers and apples.
Large chains have carried it. Apeel avocados reached about 1,100 Kroger stores in 2019, and Walmart piloted Apeel cucumbers in roughly 100 stores in 2020.
The FDA reviewed it. The FDA completed its evaluation of Apeel's GRAS notice for the coating ingredient and had no questions. Its letter says the ingredient is not expected to move into the edible part of the produce.

What's misleading

"It can't be washed off." Apeel says it can be removed by rinsing with water and gently scrubbing. Fact-checkers describe the older claim as outdated. The coating is edible, so removing it is a choice, not a requirement.
"Bill Gates owns Apeel." Apeel says Gates is not and has never been a shareholder. The company says the Gates Foundation gave it two research grants.
"It's full of toxic solvents." Apeel's 2019 notice did describe solvents used in extraction. Science Feedback reports that traces can remain, at roughly 10% of the daily limit regulators set.
"Organic produce is coated with it." Apeel's organic version, Organipeel, had not been commercially available for nearly two years as of August 2025, according to the company.

What's still debated

Disclosure. Apeel says it follows federal labeling law and that coated produce carries the Apeel logo or a sticker. Critics say stickers fall off and loose produce gives shoppers little to go on.

What GRAS means. "Generally recognized as safe" means qualified experts have concluded a substance is safe for its intended use, and companies can notify the FDA of that conclusion. The FDA reviewed this notice, but it did not run its own long-term study.

Long-term effects. Fact-checkers note there is little research on eating coated produce over many years. That is a gap in the evidence, not proof of harm.

Is there a law that would require labeling?

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) introduced the Apeel Reveal Act (H.R. 4737) on July 23, 2025. It would require a label on produce treated with a coating meant to extend shelf life. Coverage we reviewed from 2025 shows it was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and we did not find later action. Apeel says the bill would apply to all post-harvest treatments, not only its own products.

Status: Referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. No later action found in the coverage we reviewed.

What have Florence's grocery chains said about Apeel?

Florence has several chain grocers, and none of them has published a Florence-specific statement that we could find. The table shows what has been reported about each chain nationally. Most of it comes from consumer fact-check sites and 2023 consumer lists, not from the companies, so treat it as a starting point and not a guarantee.

Store	Florence location	What has been publicly reported
Walmart Supercenter	Florence	Reported not to use Apeel on its own brand, but it can carry other brands that do. Walmart also piloted Apeel cucumbers in 2020.
Target	Florence	Reported to carry some Apeel-treated produce, not in store brands.
Harris Teeter	1930 W Palmetto St	Parent company Kroger reportedly said its own label is not treated, while other brands it carries may be. Nothing found for Harris Teeter specifically.
Aldi	S Irby St and David H McLeod Blvd	A 2023 consumer list says Aldi has no public Apeel policy and buys from suppliers that use Apeel. It is unclear whether the items it stocks are treated.
Publix	Not open yet. Palmetto Place, 3435 W Palmetto St	Publix's store page lists the Florence location as "Coming Soon." Fact-check and consumer sites report that Publix does not buy Apeel-treated produce. We did not find a Publix statement.
Sam's Club, Food Lion, KJ's Market, Piggly Wiggly	Florence area	We did not find public statements.
SC Real Foods	120 Sebrell St	Says its produce comes from LIGHT Farms, a local grower.
McLeod Farms at Pee Dee Farmers Market	2513 W Lucas St	A grower selling its own crops, mostly peaches and berries.

How can I tell, and what can I do?

Look for the logo.

Apeel says coated produce carries an Apeel logo or sticker.

Ask the produce manager.

Three useful questions: Do you sell Apeel-coated produce? Which items? Does your supplier tell you?

Rinse and gently scrub, or peel.

The FDA's letter says the ingredient is not expected to reach the edible part.

Ask local growers.

Farmers market vendors can tell you how their produce is handled after harvest.

What to watch in Florence

Publix has said it will open at Palmetto Place, and its own store page still says "Coming Soon." When it opens, Florence will have one more chain to ask. Federal labeling rules are the other thing to follow, since a labeling requirement would change what shoppers can see at the bin.

Spot an error? Message HelloFlorenceSC on Facebook and we will review and correct it.