You get someone to peel an orange for you, and your heart gets overwhelmed with utter joy and gratitude. But, have one giant supermarket chain skin it for you and place it in plastic packaging, and the world erupts from sheer indignation.

Whole Foods' latest offering of Sumo mandarins that come pre-peeled and packed inside a plastic container came under fire from a number of people online.

The one tweet that spurred a web buzz comes from one Nathalie Gordon, who wrote on her Twitter account, "If only nature could find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them."


PWDs' vs. the Environment's Sake

Some netizens who expressed their disapproval of Whole Foods' novel idea argue that the company found another way to contribute to the accumulation of plastic waste that has negative imprints on the environment.

While there are those who called out Whole Foods for coming up with a not-so-well-thought-out idea, there are also others who rationalized the move and reasoned that having peeled oranges could serve the interest of those with disabilities, particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis, Mashable cited.

But, it seems like Whole Foods did not have the differently-abled individuals' interest in mind. They pulled the peeled oranges from the shelves without justifying their motives on that ground in the first place.

Whole Foods Relents

The company has since owned up to its "mistake" and assured consumers that it has "pulled" the products from the shelves.

"Many of our customers love the convenience that our cut produce offers, and this was a simple case where a handful of stores experimented with a seasonal product. Orange and tangerine slices have long been a staple favourite in our stores. We're glad some customers pointed it out so we could take a closer look and leave Sumos in their natural packaging -- the peel," Whole Foods said in a statement.  

The Twitterverse Reacts

As of this writing, Gordon's tweet has pulled in close to 76,000 likes and almost as many retweets since it was posted in the early morning on Thursday, March 3, 2016.

But based on another tweet, it seems like it wasn't just at the orange factory where Mother Nature has got to step up its quality control standards for its natural produce.