Grāpple: obscene apples

Have you heard about the Grāpple (pronounced Grape-L)? It starts life as a perfectly wholesome Fuji apple, which is, in my opinion, not the yummiest apple, but still a nice little snack. Apparently the Apple Gurus finally noticed that, as they selectively bred Fujis for uniform shape, size, and color, they lost some flavor along the way. Instead of going back to a variant that still had flavor, they are now injecting grape juice into the apples. ARGH! More processing, more meddling. What was wrong with apples in the first place?

The Grāpple news page shares this blurb:

"We are so lucky," said Jan Holt, Director of Child Nutrition Programs at Camp Lejeune. "Yes, more labor is involved, yes, it's more costly, but it's so beneficial for the students. It's worth every second." Grāpple® brand apples are just one of the popular choices being served at some of our nation's schools. Read the full story on some North Carolina schools enjoying the benefits and great taste of eating healthy.

Okay, so the kids like the Grāpple and didn't like other apples? How can this be? Ah, yes, the Red [not] Delicious came to mind: mealy, tough- and bitter-skinned, watery flavor. It's so not-appley I had rather forgotten about it. If Red [not] Delicious apples is what the kids are used to, no wonder they are excited about the Grāpple. Imagine how nice it would be if they could eat a real apple?

For a nice explanation of how Red Delicious became the Red [not] Delicious, see this article from the Washington Post: Why the Red Delicious No Longer Is: Decades of Makeovers Alter Apple to Its Core.

And if you think this sort of apple-tweaking is obscene, vote with your grocery cart. Buy apples based on flavor and texture and disregard the other aspects. Who cares if the skin has a ding? It grew on a tree, for crying out loud. Who cares if it is the same size as its fellows. It's an apple; it's job is to be yummy, not good-looking.