Last week, this tweet ignited the Internet.
It showed London-native Natalie Gordon's picture depicting pre-peeled oranges stored in plastic containers being sold for a whopping $6 in a supermarket. As of this writing, the tweet managed to garner over 100,000 retweets and favorites.
The product has then garnered widespread media attention, mainly slamming the controversial new product and its manufacturer, Whole Foods'. It even has its own hashtag, #orangegate, and had headlines such as "Whole Foods' Pre-Peeled Oranges Are the Ultimate in Burgeois Laziness", epitomizing the world's swift condemnation. Environmentalists have also cried foul, saying that the packaging is wasteful and it pollutes.
Whole Foods responded quickly by removing the product from its shelves and by attempting to diffuse the tension it created by making light of it. Although the response to #orangegate has been negative, some sectors have deemed the product necessary for certain groups of people. This holds true for people with disabilities, particularly those with limited hand dexterity. These also include people who have arthritis and have difficulty in peeling oranges.
A disability studies scholar, Kim Saunders, wrote this on her blog:
As a person with limited hand dexterity, I look at this and see an easier way to eat healthy food. I actively avoid eating oranges, not because I dislike them (they are definitely tasty) but because I have so much difficulty peeling them. Any attempt to peel an orange is likely to result in an unappetizing mess because I've squeezed the orange to hard while trying to maneuver it for peel removal.
I don't have access to peeled oranges from my grocery store though I'd probably take advantage of them if I did. I do buy precut vegetables all the time because it is more convenient and safer for me to do so.
This in turn does not only make it an environmental issue, but also a disability issue, as said by a minority of pundits. There are also some people who claim who would buy these pre-peeled fruits, citing convenience.
