4 replies to this topic

[T.H.]

For anyone who has to avoid soy or casein, and reacts to very small amounts, I just came across this information linked from another forum, and thought it might be of interest (I haven't seen it here, so sorry if something like this is a repeat!)

It's actually an article about staying Kosher and the wax coatings put on fruits and veggies, but it had some interesting information to say.
http://www.star-k.or...etables-wax.htm

The sections of the article that might be of interest are the following:
"Shellac or lac resin is a product that is imported from India and is used in waxes for citrus fruits, apples and pears...."

"There are two types of proteins used in the wax industry, soy and casein. Proteins are used as a thickener in lac-resin waxes and are not necessary in the more viscous petroleum based or carnuba waxes..."


They don't say which types of waxes are used on every type of fruit and veggie they mention, but I'll list the produce they say often has waxes, in case any soy/casein intolerant folk might find it of use. At the very least, you could always call a farm up if you've been having trouble, and see if it might be the wax!

"Common Wax Applications
Citrus Fruits: grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges,tangerines
Melons: cantaloupe, honeydew
Pome Fruits: apples, pears
Stone Fruits: nectarines, peaches, plums
Tropical Fruits: mangos, papayas, passion fruit
Vegetables: avocados, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplant,green peppers,hotpeppers, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes,and turnips."

[txplowgirl]

Very interesting, Thank you for that.

[revenant]

This actually makes me angry... How can we allow companies to cover something as pure as fruit and vegetable with this stuff..Ugh!
Would organic produce not be waxed?? I wonder if there is a visual way to tell.. if only there was a comparable picture.. unwaxed VS. waxed. All lemons look waxy to me


The lemons I've been using have been giving me the same kind of head tension I get from my intolerances and finger swelling. Just looked at the label and they're waxed.. Bah! And they're organic.

[shopgirl]

This actually makes me angry... How can we allow companies to cover something as pure as fruit and vegetable with this stuff..Ugh!

The same way we allow them to cover the ground they grow in with pesticides and other chemicals. And the same way we dump chemicals into our water to make it drinkable. Very little of what we consume is pure.

[T.H.]

Another site was saying why they add the wax, and it was just...argh.

Many of these are produce that produce their own natural wax coating, which gets washed off by the companies, and then they ADD on a wax coating to protect the produce like the original wax coating did. But yeah, it seems like lots of organic wax, as long as the wax is natural and organic. Even if we don't want it, sigh.

But glad that maybe this might help explain why citrus has been causing you problems! A few people I know call around and look for local or small citrus growers who don't put any coatings on their produce. :-)