TL;DR: Conventional produce undergoes invisible treatments most consumers never know about, synthetic coatings like Apeel, ethylene gas ripening, glyphosate desiccation before harvest. These processes prioritize shelf life and profit over nutrition and health, and most don't require labeling. Certified organic food from Organic Fix is grown without these hidden interventions.
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The Conversation That Changed Everything
Not long ago, we spoke about Apeel, that invisible, synthetic film that's sprayed onto fruit and vegetables to extend their shelf life.
It's made in a lab. Applied in two stages, before and after harvest. And once it's on your food, it can't be washed off.
The response was huge. Messages poured in from people who had no idea this was happening to the produce they were buying for their families.
And it really highlighted something important: people are waking up to the fact that so much happens to our food that we simply can't see.
So let's talk about what that actually means and what else is happening to conventional produce before it ever reaches your shopping basket.
Bananas That Never Ripened Naturally
Did you know conventional bananas aren't ripened naturally?
They're picked green, deliberately, weeks before they're ready. Then they're stored in temperature controlled facilities. When it's time for them to hit supermarket shelves, they're placed in ripening rooms and blasted with ethylene gas to artificially trigger the ripening process.
Within days, they turn that perfect, uniform yellow. Ready for sale. Looking flawless.
But here's what they're not: naturally ripened. The gas forces a cosmetic change without the complex biochemical processes that occur when fruit ripens on the plant.
The result? Perfect yellow color but zero natural flavor development. That's why supermarket bananas so often taste bland compared to ones that ripened slowly and naturally.
This isn't an isolated practice. It's standard across the conventional banana industry globally.
The Chemicals Sprayed Right Before Harvest
Or take grains like wheat and oats, staples in so many Australian households.
Conventional versions of these crops are often sprayed with glyphosate and other chemical desiccants right before harvest. Not to kill pests. Not to manage weeds. But to dry the crop faster and make processing easier and more efficient.
It's a practice called pre harvest desiccation, and it's become standard in industrial agriculture.
The problem? That means the chemical residue ends up exactly where it shouldn't, in the grain itself. The part you're eating. The part your kids are eating in their breakfast cereal, their bread, their pasta.
And because these chemicals are used as drying agents rather than pesticides in the traditional sense, they're often not discussed in consumer facing information. Most people have no idea it's happening.
A System Built for Profit, Not Health
Apeel coatings. Ethylene gas ripening. Pre-harvest glyphosate spraying.
They're all part of the same system, one designed for shelf life, convenience, logistics, and profit. Not for nutrition. Not for health. Not for the long-term wellbeing of the people eating the food.
And here's the uncomfortable truth that should make all of us pause: most of it doesn't have to be labeled.
While you're carefully choosing what looks like a perfect piece of fruit or a healthy box of oats, you might be unknowingly taking home invisible residues of synthetic chemicals, gas treatments, and lab created coatings that can't just be rinsed away under the tap.
The system operates on the assumption that consumers don't need to know or won't ask.
What Certified Organic Actually Means
At Organic Fix, we choose a different path. Deliberately and uncompromisingly.
Every piece of produce on our shelves comes from certified organic and chemical free farms. That certification isn't just a label, it's a legal standard that prohibits all of these hidden interventions.
No synthetic coatings like Apeel. No ethylene gas ripening. No pre-harvest chemical desiccants. No glyphosate. No shortcuts.
Just real food, grown with integrity, food that actually nourishes your body the way it's meant to.
I know our farmer. I know how they work with soil health, seasonal rhythms, and natural pest management. And I can say with complete confidence: the food we source is grown honestly, without hidden additives or invisible treatments.
When you buy organic from us, you're getting food that:
- Ripened naturally on the plant or tree
- Was harvested without chemical drying agents
- Contains no synthetic coatings or preservatives
- Hasn't been gassed or artificially treated
- Comes from soil managed for health, not just yield
That's the difference. And it matters more than most people realize.
How to Navigate This Reality
If this feels overwhelming, I understand. The more you learn about the conventional food system, the more complex and unsettling it can seem.
But knowledge is power. And once you understand what's being done to your food, you become empowered to choose differently.
Here's where to start:
Ask questions. Don't assume that "fresh" means untreated or that "natural" means chemical free. These terms aren't regulated the way "organic" is.
Support local, organic farmers. They're working within a system that makes it harder and more expensive to do things properly and they need consumer support to keep going.
Read labels carefully. Look for certified organic certification, which legally prohibits these hidden treatments.
Start with what you eat most. Prioritise organic versions of the foods your family consumes regularly, grains, fruit, vegetables, oils.
Join our newsletter. We share information like this regularly because we believe you deserve to know what's really happening to your food. We'll help you make truly informed choices without the overwhelm.
Why We Keep Talking About This
Some people wonder why we focus so much on what's wrong with the conventional food system. Why not just talk about what we offer and leave it at that?
Because transparency matters. Because people deserve to know. Because the food industry relies on consumers not asking questions, and we refuse to participate in that silence.
We're here to help you see what others don't talk about. To bring real, honest food back to your table. To prove that another way is possible.
Every time you choose certified organic, you're voting for a food system that values health over convenience, nutrition over shelf life, and honesty over hidden treatments.
Visit Organic Fix at 937 Main Road, Eltham VIC 3095 and discover food that's grown with integrity, no hidden treatments, no invisible chemicals, just real nourishment.