What does sticker on fruit mean

It is more common to find stickers on fruits that are bought from the grocery marts than the ones purchased from the local vegetable and fruit vendors. The sticker has a PLU code printed on it. This code does not only consist of a bar code for the ease of billing but also contains important information regarding how the fruit or vegetable was grown. It is known as a "price lookup number". By carefully analyzing the sticker, you enable yourself to make judgments regarding the origin of the fruit.

Was it genetically modified? Was it grown organically and in the traditional manner? Was it injected and grown with fungicides and pesticides that pose risk upon consumption? Waking up one morning, to a carton of fresh fruits that have generously been dropped over at your house by your relatives surely uplifts your mood but upon opening the carton, you find each piece to be accompanied by these suspicious stickers.

Here's what is important. There are three kinds of stickers, leading to three different categories of fruits or vegetables -. In case the fruit has a four-digit number such as , then it implies that the fruit has been grown in the conventional manner.

The produce was grown traditionally with the use of pesticides. Called a PLU sticker — short for product look up — they feature a four- or five-digit number that lets cashiers know what the product is and how much it costs.

Sure it's easy to tell an apple from a grape, but it's not always easy to discern between the golden delicious and Spartan varieties of apple, which differ in price. All four-digit numbers begin with a 3 or a 4 — which means the product was grown conventionally — and five-digit combinations start with a 9 then the product's four-digit code , meaning it was organically grown. An 8 was once used to denote GMO products, but that was dropped a few years back as the GMO designation didn't affect price.

Same goes for navel oranges , seedless green grapes and even passion fruit for the granadilla variety. And any other country that is shipping to those countries is also using them. An IFPS committee meets electronically, four times a year, to decide which applications should be accepted and which shouldn't.

The most recent deadline was Feb. The other application deadlines are May 1, Aug. The main requirement is that the product has to be sold by at least three retailers with 25 locations or more. Letters of support from the retailers are also asked for. Her suggestions are totally do-able by anyone, regardless of the number of things on your to-do list. With nearly 30 cited sources, the research is solid and the explanation is passionately straight-forward and easy to understand. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

By making a purchase through those links, I will earn commission that helps to keep the lights on in the Crumbs house — with no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crumbs in this way. Read my full disclosure statement here.

Get weekly accountability, monthly meal plans and swap recipe ideas with fellow foodies in Clean Eating Club! Most had the same thing to say. So, 8 is no longer an absolute. They could be a part of the retailers assigned codes. It is 4 digits so it should be conventional but it starts with 8 and not 3 or 4. I am confused. Is it GMO or not? Thank you. Hi Tiffany: Thanks for this breakdown. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The code for papaya is still the same — — but those preceding numbers, the 8 and 9 respectively, tell you a bit more about the fruit: If the PLU code is preceded with an 8, it is a GMO food. If the PLU code is preceded with a 9, it is an organically food. What Else is On the Label?