Will they live up to the ripe?
On Wednesday, Kroger grocery stores rolled out “longer-lasting” avocados to some 1,100 stores across the country.
According to Kroger, these extra-hearty fruits “maintain their just-harvested quality longer” than the average avo. Their national domination follows a soft launch in Midwest Kroger stores last year.
The secret to this avo’s longevity? They’re dunked in an invisible coating called Apeel — essentially, a blanket of plant-derived fats that lock moisture in and keep oxygen out, delaying spoilage, per Apeel’s website. (The two specific fats mentioned on the site, lipids and glycerolipids, are common food additives that are recognized as safe by the FDA.)
Kroger will also start selling limes and asparagus sprayed in the same coating.
Just two questions, from a concerned guacamole consumer: One, do they come in mini? And two, does “just-harvested quality” refer to the rock-hard phase during which avocados could double as projectile weapons? If so, you can keep ’em.