Waxing lyrical on Apples -- Are they safe?

I bet many of us have received this kind of warning in our mail-box. But how true is it?

Be Careful when eating apples

Please don't eat the skin of the apple because it's coated with wax.
Check before you eat many of the fruits.
WAX is being used for preservation purposes and cold storage.
You might be surprised especially apples from USA and other parts are more than one year old, though it would look fresh. Becoz wax is coated, preventing bacteria to enter. So it does not get dry.
Please Eat Apples after removing the wax as demonstrated below. Please follow this and let know others...........







Now, in all honesty, I don’t know if this is a hoax or not. They could really be using wax on apples to keep them fresh.

So let's find out what we can from the Internet itself.

The U.S. Apple Association says:
Waxes have been used on fruits and vegetables since the 1920s. They are all made from natural ingredients, and are certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be safe to eat. They come from natural sources including carnauba wax, from the leaves of a Brazilian palm; candellia wax, derived from reed-like desert plants of the genus Euphorbia; and food-grade shellac, which comes from a secretion of the lac bug found in India and Pakistan. These waxes are also approved for use as food additives for candy and pastries.

The commercial waxes do not easily wash off because they adhere to any natural wax remaining on the fruit after cleaning. Waxed produce can be scrubbed with a vegetable brush briefly in lukewarm water and rinsed before eating to remove wax and surface dirt. 

Therefore, scraping the wax using a penknife or washing it using detergents on porous foods like apples are not recommended!  

Chennai also has a report from the fruit traders' association

Waxed apples are safe & edible

As the apples travel long distances and are perishable in nature, edible wax such as Carnauba wax and Shellac wax are coated on them to raise their shelf-life," he said, adding, "These apples are cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and once the apples arrive in the country, they get necessary clearance from customs and government-authorised labs, stating that they are safe to consume."

Julie Deardrof from Julie's Health Club answers:
"Waxing apples allows them to be picked earlier and stored longer," said Kohlstadt. "A side effect [of earlier picking] is that there are fewer minerals and vitamins. The peels and seeds (for the few of us who eat them) are the most vitamin-rich parts of the apple. So I don't recommend peeling the apples. A tablespoon of lemon juice and a tablespoon of baking soda can be added to a sinkful of water to make a good scrubbing solution.  This can remove the wax and any pesticides which might be trapped underneath it."

Gabe Mirkin, M.D. wrote in his WAX ON APPLES:

Many fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts and vegetables that you buy in super markets are covered with wax to keep them from rotting. The Food and Drug administration reports that most waxes used to prolong the shelf life of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts and vegetables are safe and are made from wax and other oils extracted from plant leaves and wax made by the lace bug.

The Food and Drug Administration has also found that the commonly-used fungicides in waxes are also safe. The only reasonable concerns about these waxes comes from vegetarians and religious groups.

So, there you are. Many of the articles produced on the Internet say that the wax used on apples are practically safe for consumption.

The only problem for some of us would lie on this next statement: 

Some waxes are made from beef tallow, which would offend Seventh-day Adventists who don't eat meat and many Orthodox Jews and Moslems who don't eat meat (slaughtered not according to rituals), so they would have to avoid waxed fruits and vegetables when they use dairy products. 

However, American producers do not use waxes of animal origin, but many foreign shippers do.