Supermarket chain Whole Foods has sparked a Twitter revolt by selling pre-peeled oranges in plastic containers. If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them. pic.twitter.com/00YECaHB4D — Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) March 3, 2016 A photo of the oranges in plastic containers tweeted […]
Supermarket chain Whole Foods has sparked a Twitter revolt by selling pre-peeled oranges in plastic containers.
If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them. pic.twitter.com/00YECaHB4D
— Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) March 3, 2016
A photo of the oranges in plastic containers tweeted by Nathalie Gordon has been shared and liked by more than 100,000 Twitter users and sparked an online debate.
Gordon joked about the amount of plastic packaging wasted on the oranges, with Whole Foods replying to her tweet to confirm they have now been pulled from the display.
They were being sold by American supermarket chain Whole Foods, who have several stores in London.
Some fellow tweeters were less than impressed:
@HealthAddict101 @awlilnatty it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Yes, let's process these oranges by ripping off their peel
— bethie (@arkveggiepants) March 3, 2016
@ajdomanico @awlilnatty the irony of this being Whole Foods too
— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) March 3, 2016
Whole Foods responded to what became known as the #OrangeGate scandal by tweeting a joke.
Whole Foods did initially respond in an appropriate manner:
@awlilnatty Definitely our mistake. These have been pulled. We hear you, and we will leave them in their natural packaging: the peel.
— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) March 3, 2016
But then used this rather ill-judged joke:
#orangegate pic.twitter.com/cVn2xpkr85
— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) March 4, 2016
However, not all observers we’re so quick to pour scorn over the pre-peeled oranges. Some said it’s no different from bagged salads, shelled seeds or baby carrots.
Kim Sauder, who is a Ph.D. candidate in disability studies, has limited hand dexterity. In her blog, she writes that “Preparing food with limited mobility is both hugely time consuming and potentially dangerous.”
Others on Twitter agreed, showing the issue was more than an environmental one:
there are over 58M disabled people in the US alone…let us have pre peeled fruit….and shut up about it! #orangegate
— Dominick Evans (@dominickevans) March 7, 2016
The #orangegate thing is so weird because there are so many people who adamantly refuse to consider disabled people, and anything they need.
— Dana (@preciosatt) March 6, 2016
