'As nature intended': Big supermarkets to stop waxing apples

The big Aussie supermarkets are abandoning wax coating in a bid to offer more natural looking fruit.

Grocers had been buffing fruit with wax for years, locking in the goodness and prolonging the shelf life.

But now Coles and Woolworths have decided to take the shine off their apples.

“At the moment, we have organic apples that are actually wax-free,” Woolworths spokesperson Adam Quinlan said.

“Customers are shifting more and more into that, and asking for produce that’s actually as nature intended.”

But some growers have warned the shelf life will be affected.

“If the fruit’s not kept at the right temperature in the shops, all the time, it will reduce the shelf-life of the fruit,” Bilpin Fruit Bowls Margaret Tadrosse said.

Shoppers have been warned wax-less fruit won’t mean a drop in price either.

“If there is any savings to pass on, we certainly will but at this stage, we won’t be going to any of our growing base and asking for a reduction,” Mr Quinlan said.

Each Australian consumes an estimated eight kilograms of apples each year, with the Aussie orchards producing more than half a billion dollars of fruit each year.