Labels on apples

[Mary Fisher]

There's a lot of misinformation about them.

You'll have mail.

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

It's a way of guaranteeing that they'll _never_ be sold in supermarkets.

Ripe medlars look like durians smell, but taste rather better. Actually they taste 'orrible, but they cook beautifully. My last batch were used to coat a roasted Gloucester Old Spot, a bit of a waste as I'm a veggie.

[Mary Fisher]

Old Spots!

They're best simply served, with cream.

Mary

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[stuart noble]

So what IS the adhesive on fruit labels then? Postage stamps you licked were gum arabic, which was probably quite nutritious. A lot of supermarket fruit is coated in carnauba wax to improve appearance. No doubt that has some grisly e number, but is natural and harmless.

[chris French]

In message , Mary Fisher writes

And how many people would forget, stick on the wrong label etc.?

[Mary Fisher]

If they forget they don't buy the apples.

If they're trying to defraud, they can do that now by switching the labels.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

"stuart noble"

[Andy Dingley]

Carnauba used to be one ingredient - it gives a higher shine. Since we started to care about eating fruit coated with furniture polish, the shops have toned down the shininess of it. Some was candelilla instead of carnauba as this is even harder and shinier. They're both still used on some sweets or pills.

I believe it's sprayed on as a water emulsion, heated to keep it flowing.

[chris French]

In message , Mary Fisher writes

Or the queue has to wait while someone sorts it out.

I was thinking more of accidentally sticking the wrong label on here.

Yes of course this could be used, but I can't see much in for the supermarkets

[Mary Fisher]

I don't think it would bankrupt either customer or shop.

Well, I often hear broadcasts saying that they want to respond to customers' requirements, that they listen, that ... oh, you know, all sorts of meaningless guff :-)

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

So it must contain an emulsifier too? And if so it can be washed off ... but it can't in my experience.

Why does the work 'alar' keep coming into my mind?

Mary

[Mark Spice]

What you can't stop thinking about a pesticide that has virtually no risk to humans in the dose likely to be consumed and about which the scaremongering cost millions for no actual increase in safety?

Cheers

Mark

[Pete C]

Hi,

It's the 'virtually' bit I don't like, implies a lack of knowledge or certainty.

cheers, Pete.

[Mary Fisher]

scaremongering

Oh, thanks. I wasn't worried about it, just couldn't remember anything, even if there was such a word ... something to do with applies I thought ...

It's getting more common, this forgetting :-(

Mary

[stuart noble]

The wax flakes for fruit are pre-coated with an emulsifier so that they can just be stirred into hot water to form the emulsion. The coating it produces has no resistance to water so can easily be washed off. Don't know what your experience consists of but, if beeswax comes into the equation, you would have something more water resistant. None of the hard vegetable waxes, carnauba, candelilla, esparto are much use as a coating on their own, all being virtually insoluble in anything at room temperature. Used a lot in the paper and cosmetic industries I believe.

[greek0691]

None of our chickens seem to be able to inkjet mark their eggs with the date and batch number- we have to use a lead pencil to date them. Frustrating.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I thought this was done manually, or in other words twice a year., much like toothbrush holesmanship? Brian

[GB]

Can you not feed the chickens different things on different days of the week? So, for example, if the eggs are purple they were probably laid on Wednesday?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I am sure you could attach a raspberry pi to them and an inkjet printer strapped to their bottoms.

Or you could get robot goats....

[Andrew]

The Italian 'brown barn' eggs that Sainsburys were selling in the summer were dyed with something because when hard boiled the water in the pan turned brown !