Demand an End to Animal-based waxes on fruits and vegetables

I recently discovered that "unwaxed" lemons in many supermarkets are, in fact, far from that. It is stated on the labels that they use E202 and Imazalil, amongst other waxes.

These are unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians, have an adverse effect on the planet and affect people's health when ingested.

Upon doing some research, I discovered that there are 21 fruits and vegetables that are commonly waxed using animal-derived substances: apples, avocados, bell peppers, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplants, grapefruits, lemons, limes, melons, oranges, parsnips, passion fruits, peaches, pineapples, pumpkins, rutabagas, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and turnips. Non-organic bananas are also sprayed with a pesticide derived from shellfish.

As a vegan, it shocks me to learn that even fruits and vegetables can contain animal products and I hope that others will be able to empathize with this. By not consuming loose, waxed fruits and veggies and by signing a petition, we can help to end this needless killing and remove these products from our food.

This type of coating is only put on there to increase consumer appeal by making them shiny. Often derived from bugs, sentient insects are crushed and forcibly impregnated in order to create many of these waxes. The killing of these animals also has an adverse effect of the biodiversity of the planet. Let's work to get these waxes off of these fruits and veggies for the animals, for the planet and for health! Thank-you.