Michelle Pfeiffer has apologized after parroting a fringe theory that a food product with ties to Bill Gates would contaminate American produce.
On Thursday, the Dangerous Liaisons star took to Instagram to walk back earlier claims about Apeel, a company that produces edible, plant-based food coating used to extend the shelf life of produce.
The three-time Oscar nominee has since apologized for her controversial posts about Apeel. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Pfeiffer, 67, first posted about the product on July 10, when she shared a reel that read, “Organic produce is no longer safe. Bill Gates’ Apeel just got approved for USDA-certified organic”
“Apeel… was just approved, and now ‘organic’ produce is coated in something we cannot see or wash off,” wrote Pfeiffer over the original post. “Very concerning.”
In a follow-up post, Pfeiffer also shared an article from the organic food blog My Health Forward featuring a list of grocery stores that do not sell produce coated with Apeel.
While Pfeiffer has since said she didn’t intend to spread misinformation about Apeel, her reposts were reminiscent of a larger online smear campaign against the company led in part by MAHA-adjacent influencers.
In 2023, MAGA podcaster Dr. Jane Ruby set off a firestorm when she falsely claimed that Apeel products coat produce in heavy metals.
Apeel maintains that Gates has had no involvement in the company beyond approving two grants for it in 2012 and 2015. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
Other posters targeted the company’s ties to Bill Gates, falsely claiming he was Apeel’s founder. In truth, Apeel received two grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The first grant, given at the company’s founding in 2012, was around $100,000, and the second was around $985,000 in 2015, Reuters reports.
However, Gates has never been a shareholder in Apeel. Representatives for the California-based company have previously clarified that the Microsoft founder, 69, has had no “involvement or ownership” beyond approving the grants.
OrganiPeel, the product referred to in Pfeiffer’s posts, is made from citric acid, baking soda, and mono- and diglycerides distilled from “non-GMO, responsibly-sourced plant oils,” according to Apeel’s website.
While Apeel coatings are transparent, they are not, as Pfeiffer wrote, “impossible to wash off.” Apeel’s website advises that merely rinsing fresh produce and “gently scrubbing [it] using your hands or a soft brush” will remove the coating, which is edible.
Three weeks after her initial posts, Pfeiffer returned to Instagram to correct herself.
“Ugh!” wrote the Oscar nominee, “It turns out that I unintentionally reposted outdated and inaccurate information, and I’m very sorry for that.”
Pfeiffer apologized via Instagram Thursday for her previous claims about Apeel. Michelle Pfeiffer/Instagram
The Batman Returns star then explained that she’d spoken to representatives for Apeel, who told her that Organipeel is not a new product, and has been used in grocery stores since 2017.
Apeel was approved by the FDA in 2024.
Pfeiffer also corrected her earlier implication that the company belonged to Gates, clarifying that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has “no role with or ownership in” the company beyond the two 2012 grants.
“Public conversations about food safety and sustainability matter deeply,” wrote the actress. “But they’re only as helpful as they are accurate.”
Disinfo spreads fast. Facts matter more.
Thank you Michelle Pfeiffer for setting the record straight:
✔️ Gates has no ownership or role in Apeel
✔️ Organipeel was approved in 2017
✔️ Not used commercially in 2+ years
We lead with transparency. Always have.
— Apeel Sciences (@apeelsciences) July 31, 2025
While Apeel Sciences did not respond to Pfeiffer’s initial series of posts, the company did repost her apology on X Thursday. “Disinfo spreads fast,” read the company’s tweet. “Facts matter more.”