That’s bananas! Why fruit in Costa might NOT be vegan

IT might seem an obvious choice of snack for any followers of the trendy ‘plant-based’ diet.

But even some fresh fruit fails to live up to the strict standards of veganism – because it’s coated in beeswax.

The wax is sometimes used by high street chains to make fresh produce look shiny and help preserve it for longer.

And now Costa Coffee has admitted it ‘cannot guarantee’ its apples and satsumas are vegan-friendly, because they might have been preserved using the labour of bees.

Mother-of-three Emma Boylan had quizzed the chain on social media about why it only lists its bananas as vegan.

In a tweet, Costa replied saying its fruit could be coated in beeswax or shellac – a resin made from bugs.

The announcement came as a shock to many in the vegan community. One wrote online: ‘Would never have occurred to me to ask about fruit before I bought it.’

Another said: ‘Some fruits are covered in some sort of wax to make them look shiny... I guess that’s why.’

And another added: ‘It’s quite important we know this and perhaps get them to make a change.’ Costa’s statement comes a month after food writer Jack Monroe, who has published a plantbased recipe book, expressed her shock at learning Pizza Express lemons were not vegan-friendly.

She published a screenshot of the Italian chain’s menu on Twitter, writing: ‘Erm what do Pizza Express do to their LEMONS to make them not suitable for vegans?!

‘Just noticed this and can’t for the life of me fathom.’

She later added: ‘Of course it’s the wax. Christ, every time you think you’re doing your bit, something else pops up like a whack-a-mole.’