A media outlet called The Free Press has an enlightening story on how misinformation and social media just about killed Apeel Sciences, a 10-plus-year-old company that had devised a natural way to keep produce from rotting and in the process easing world hunger.

As the publication put it: “All it took was two Facebook posts to turn an online mob against Apeel Sciences and its booming business of keeping food fresh longer.”

You can read the entire story here (no registration required).

“The eureka moment for James Rogers arrived while driving past some California farmland in 2011. He was a doctoral student at the University of California-Santa Barbara, focusing on world hunger, and the drive got him thinking about a huge problem with fresh produce. Growing it wasn’t the problem. Keeping it fresh was.

“Working out of his garage, Rogers … used materials found in the skins, peels and seeds of fruits and vegetables — especially grapes — to create a protective covering that slowed down the water loss and oxidation that cause fresh produce to spoil after being harvested.” Those key ingredients were monoglycerides and diglycerides.

Soon there was a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Time magazine called Apeel one of its “Genius Companies” of 2018, the FDA and the European Food Safety Authority gave their approvals.

“And then came April 10, 2023, [when] two Facebook posts falsely claimed that Apeel’s product ‘can’t be washed off’ and warned viewers not to ‘eat anything with the Apeel sticker on it.’ The posts linked to the ingredients of a floor cleaner also called Apeel but made by a UK company. Within hours, the posts ricocheted across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, Rumble, and Reddit.

“Soon after those first two Facebook posts, which came from Canada, similarly baseless claims were repeated by Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) influencers, including some who saw the worst in Apeel’s connection to Bill Gates.”

Produce suppliers who were using the product were publicly named. Stores selling products were boycotted. Despite seeing both the utility and food safety in the product, one by one the suppliers and retailers canceled contracts with Apeel.

At Apeel’s peak, the story says, 60% of the avocados sold in American grocery stores were coated with Apeel. The number is now zero. Almost all of Apeel’s revenue in the U.S. has disappeared, and the company was forced to lay off most of its employees.

Apeel is still being used in Europe. What’s left of the company is now pursuing legal action against the online “influencers” who disparaged the product. Will the company be able to stage a comeback? It’s a good read; again, read it yourself here.