I would have thought I was safe with whole foods...
I'm one of those freaky, (minority?) vegans who don't use products made from bees. But this thread is NOT here to discuss the politics of the choice to use of such products...ahem...anyways, I was cruising trader Joe's...planning on making some kick-yo-butt-yummy-pizza and wanted to get some fresh produce for it as well as try TJs premade pizza dough...(after I loaded up, it turned out they were out of dough but that ALSO is beside the point....) the store was soooooooo crowded I was in a "get in and get out mindset" and didn't notice until I got home that some of my produce, like the Roma tomatoes for example, had a label on it that read something like "product has been sealed with beeswax or lactic something-or-other for freshness..." or something to that effect...
How annoying. I would have thought PRODUCE would be totally vegan. Ive never even THOUGHT to check for that before...but if that was on my fruits/veggies at TJs its probally on it at all stores....Humm...what do you guys do about this situation? Has anyone noticed that before?
*edited to be less $h!t stirring in hopes of more thoughts/comments
Hmm...I've never noticed that, but I don't buy my produce from TJ's because of all the packaging. I know that they sometimes use vegetable oil at the HFS I shop at in order to make the produce look shiny ::) but I've never seen anything about beeswax...
eee, that is unfortunate. i tend to avoid trader joe's produce, mostly because i just don't think it's very good. but i have made trips like yours where i just want to pick up a few things for dinner. what types of fruit/ veggies were they? I'm imagining tomatoes and cukes, but you should let us know.
and VHZ i don't use any bee products either. in fact, i'm pretty sure anyone who does is by definition not vegan. so technically, we can't be a minority ;)
I don't use bee products either (not on purpose any way!).
I'm having trouble finding my vegan chapstick lately. Good thing I keep finding old ones in coat pockets I haven't worn in a year.
alba's pineapple quench lip balm is vegan. though i can't say it's the best thing i've ever used
argh, produce sealed in beeswax?! i wouldn't want to eat beeswax even if i wasn't vegan.
i never noticed this while working there; i know a lot of produce is waxed for "freshness" (like apples and cucumbers), and I guess this is their way of using natural wax (what IS the other wax anyway?).
and truth be told, a lot of their produce is hit-and-miss. and i hate prepackaged produce; i like to pick each one when i'm at the ("regular") store. they have some goooood apples though, and the organic ones are identifiably not waxed. oh, and the bananas are good.
i suppose the onions are... onions.
their potatoes can be cheaper than the regular store, and are... potatoes.
but everything else is pretty "meh" for me. most fruit's good if it's in season, but most of the vegetables are not worth saving with wax.
i did notice that the produce was both inferior to the quality of the produce at the "regular" grocery store and that there was significantly more packaging (both of which were major drawbacks) :( I shop at this place right near my house that caters to a hispanic population and has very, very cheap produce. was shocked by TJs prices, but because it was the weekend and busses are crappy, I didn't want to leave TJs and then go to my regular store...the packaging, however, was where the label was and because my regular store doesn't have the extra packaging, there wouldn't really be a place to put that info...I might call them to find out... ::)
I'll let you guys know tomarrow what produce had it, specifically as well as what the other waxy thing is...
Is any wax vegan or is it all bees?
What about waxed paper?
There are some apples in BC that are coated with casein (ick!).
Is any wax vegan or is it all bees?
What about waxed paper?
There is beeswax and then there is wax that is a petroleum by-product. That is just as gross, if not worse, to be ingesting, IMO.
Is any wax vegan or is it all bees?
What about waxed paper?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax
carnauba comes from plants it looks like. and my aforementioned lip balm also lists calendelilla wax and rice bran wax in it's ingredients, so it's probably possible to derive wax from any number of plants. which is essentially what bees are doing anyways right? so we're just cutting out the middle man
I never really noticed the wax thing either till my mom pointed it out--it's on a lot of produce! Tomatoes, cucumber, apples, just about anything with a peel that is both edible yet thin...pretty annoying what they do to our food huh?
Oh! I just found this:
What About Waxes?
A thin wax-like coating is often applied to some fruits and vegetables after harvesting. This is mainly to keep the produce fresh longer by sealing in moisture.
"Contrary to belief, it is not applied just to make fruits and vegetables look pretty," a United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association brochure says.
Some fruits and vegetables typically--but not always--coated with wax are apples, melons, grapefruit, peaches, oranges, rutabagas, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes, according to the association.
FDA regulates these waxes, or coatings, as food additives approved or "generally recognized as safe" for human consumption. However, some consumers have concerns about their use. Vegetarians and others who avoid animal products may worry that fruits and vegetables contain animal-based waxes, such as oleic acid. Some people fear that the wax traps pesticides, making the fruit or vegetable unsafe to eat--even though FDA's pesticide monitoring program indicates that pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are consistently within acceptable safe limits.
If consumers want to avoid waxed fruits and vegetables, FDA regulations that took effect in 1994 may help them identify the appropriate products for them. These regulations require produce packers or grocers to provide point-of-sale information about the presence of waxes on fresh fruits and vegetables. This information can appear on labels of individual products, packing cartons (if they are used at the point of sale), or on counter cards or signs. The information will say that the product is:
Coated with food-grade animal-based wax to maintain freshness, or
Coated with food-grade vegetable-, petroleum-, beeswax-, and/or shellac-based wax or resin to maintain freshness. If only one of these types of waxes is applied, the label can simply identify the type, such as "vegetable-based."
FDA also will allow the statement "No wax or resin coating" on fresh fruits and vegetables that do not contain wax.
Besides reading labeling information, consumers can reduce their concerns about waxes by rinsing fruits and vegetables with warm water and, when appropriate, scrubbing with a brush. This will eliminate much of the wax.
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Apparently even when you think you are eating vegan--you're not! *Blerg*
i give a big "bah humbug" to using bee products. hum-bug... haha, get it?
i swear i didn't mean it.
[quote author=baypuppy link=topic=20476.msg172267#msg172267 date=1197340903
but if i had a choice between bee wax and caisin (yuck!) or petroleum covered fruit, i would do bee wax any time. its honestly the least discusting in my book.
i also think bee products are in the "goes both ways" vegan category. strict definitions don't include it but i know several vegans who use honey/wax for various reasons.
I think you pretty much said it all BP! I know a lot of vegans and everyone of them has a different stance on the whole "bee" issue. I think being vegan is a work in progress--you're always striving to be better!
I think being vegan is a work in progress--you're always striving to be better!
:)I SO agree.
And Merry Hempsters makes a very nice peppermint lip balm, although it sometimes makes my lips feel a little numb when I use too much of it. I also like the vanilla.
I happen to LOVE to Alba pineapple quench lip balm...but I think lip balm is a personal thing, and tastes differ.
Also, btw, I've read that beeswax lip balms can make your lips more dry/chapped. I'm not sure if that's true...but I thought I'd share.
so..... just another reason to go organic?
Or does that not matter in this case?
And Merry Hempsters makes a very nice peppermint lip balm, although it sometimes makes my lips feel a little numb when I use too much of it. I also like the vanilla.
Ooooh I've been looking for a good peppermint lip balm to replace my Burts Bees one when it runs out! I'm going to have to look for this! Thanks!
Ay yay, I will never forget the look on my old boss's face when I told her that her apples were not kosher b/c they were coated with shellac, which was insect derived. Guh-ross.
Yeah, this is very common in unorganic apples and tomatoes and bell peppers which is why they are so shiny in the light. Just another reason to always eat organic!