Apeel, a maker of produce life-extension technology, announced this week that it is suing an online influencer who had spread misinformation about the company’s product for the last two years.
The company, which earned early recognition in the food waste innovation space for its non-toxic, plant-based coating that helps extend the shelf life of vegetables such as avocados, has faced a growing wave of misinformation in recent years. Conspiracy-peddling online influencers have claimed the company’s product contains everything from gasoline-like chemicals to heavy metals.
Because of this, the company has gone to battle against one influencer in particular: Robyn Openshaw, who goes by the name “Green Smoothie Girl” on Instagram and other platforms. Apeel filed suit on August 29, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, accusing Openshaw of publishing at least 60 posts between July 2023 and May 2025 across Instagram, YouTube, X, Rumble, and her own website. The posts alleged that Apeel’s coatings contained palladium, mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals.
According to Apeel, Openshaw told her followers to boycott Apeel produce, urged retailers like Costco and suppliers such as Driscoll’s to avoid the product, and even sold a downloadable “wallet card” listing stores not using Apeel.
Openshaw was not the only voice on social media making such claims. Alongside countless smaller accounts, actress Michelle Pfeiffer also posted about the technology and incorrectly claimed it was owned by Bill Gates. After what appeared to be legal and PR interventions, Pfeiffer later posted a correction:
“Ugh! For any of you who reposted or shared my story about Apeel it turns out that I unintentionally reposted inaccurate and outdated information, and I’m very sorry for that,” wrote Pfeiffer via an Instagram story. “@apeel_sciences has informed me that The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded two research grants to Apeel Sciences and Gates has no role with or ownership in Apeel. And regarding their organic product, Organipeel, Apeel told me it was not JUST approved but was first allowed back in 2017, though it has not been offered commercially in any market for over two years because they have been working (through proper protocol) on new organic formulations to meet the evolving needs of the organic industry. … Public conversations about food safety and sustainability matter deeply, but they’re only as helpful as they are accurate. Thank you! Xx m”
And it is not just online influencers and ’90s-heyday actresses that have targeted Apeel:
Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman’s initial concern was the involvement of the right-wing boogeyman and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.
“I think that the red flags went up for me when I saw that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was behind the development of this product,” said Stutzman in a Facebook post.
The Gates Foundation awarded about $1.1 million in research grants to Apeel in 2012 and 2015 as part of its broad philanthropic efforts. In those two years alone, the foundation gave away over $7 billion across a wide range of organizations and projects.
Stutzman went on to claim Apeel was not being transparent about its ingredient list and introduced HR 4737, also known as the Apeel Reveal Act. The bill seeks to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require disclosure of certain product coatings used on fruits and vegetables.
Despite being pretty open about what is in its coating, the company has spent millions on marketing and PR to combat confusion related to online misinformation, much of which dates back to 2023 when Openshaw and other influencers circulated the ingredient list of an entirely different product: an industrial cleaner from UK company Evans Vanodine that shares the name “Apeel.”
If you’re wondering whether the wave of misinformed influencers and posturing politicians has affected Apeel’s business, the answer is yes. Regional retailers such as PCC have issued statements on their websites noting they believe Apeel is generally safe, but they have nonetheless instructed their distributors not to source produce that uses Apeel. Others, like Sprouts and Publix, have also said they will not purchase Apeel-coated produce.
While many of these retailers probably agree with Apeel that their product is not harmful to humans, you can’t blame them. Trying to educate shoppers in an era where social media is the primary channel for many consumers when it comes to food and nutrition information is a losing battle. Today’s social channels are rife with lots of bad information from self-proclaimed experts, and grocers probably figure this is one less battle they need to fight.
As for Apeel, the lawsuit may reveal whether legal action can help stem the tide of misinformation. In an era where even our own governmetn traffics in misinformation, the company has an uphill battle ahead.
