Learn to Identify the Bar Code on Your Produce Easily

You've likely seen stickers stuck on most fruits and vegetables. These stickers usually have a bar code on them for scanning and a PLU code, which helps the cashier identify the type of product you are buying. But there's more to these stickers than you think. While the PLU is the 'price lookup' number that identifies the fruit or vegetable, it also helps to identify another thing - how the produce was grown.

In reading this code correctly, you will be able to tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides. All you need to do is learn to identify and analyze the labels and the PLU numbers. It's a lot easier than you'd imagine. 

Here's what you need to know about the PLU codes: 

 

1. If the PLU contains only four numbers, this indicates that the produce was grown conventionally, or traditionally, with the use of pesticides. For instance, all bananas are generally marked 4011. 

 

2. If the PLU code contains five numbers and starts with '8', this will indicate that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable, meaning that they have been tampered with in an unnatural way. So in the case of a genetically modified banana, it would be marked, 84011. 

 

3. If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with '9', this indicates that the product was grown organically and was not genetically modified. So, an organic banana would be marked: 94011

What's more? While the adhesive used to attach the stickers is considered to be food-grade, the stickers themselves are not safe to consume. 

 

So, if you are looking to consume fruits and vegetables which are free from pesticides or GMO, buying organic produce is your safest and best bet. Nevertheless, as these items can at times be expensive, a great way to keep costs down is by knowing which fruits and vegetables are generally fine to eat (even if pesticides were used) and which aren't. These are referred to as the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen. So, which fruits and vegetables fall under these categories? Check out the chart below:

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