Those tiny little stickers on fruits and vegetables make me nuts. Sometimes, they are so hard to peel off and Lord help me if one gets wet. YUCK. But, these little stickers are so important. The PLU number on that tiny tag is more than a code for the cashier to know how to charge you. It is a code that will tell you the origin of that piece of produce.
Check this out:
Organic — The fruit or vegetable was grown naturally without using any chemicals. The PLU sticker will start with the number 9 and will have five digits.
Conventionally grown – “Conventional” brings to mind farmers tilling the field and produce growing nutured by the soil, sun and rain alone. Na-uh. Sorry to tell you that the new definition of conventional means that chemicals such as pesticides were used on the fruit while it was being grown. Conventionally grown, or chemically grown, fruit and vegetables will have a code starting with a 4 and they will be four digits long.
Genetically modified – Here is where it gets scary for me. A genetically modified fruit or vegetable has been modified by science. (This does not even begin to include produce grown from genetically modified seeds.) The really terrible part is that, at this time, industry is not required to disclose when the produce has been tampered with by science. Genetically modified fruits or vegetables will begin with an 8 and have five digits in the code but they may be coded as conventionally grown since there are no regulations to force full disclosure.
So, next time you are in the store and you think you know what you are buying, make sure. Check the tiny numbers that can make a huge difference in keeping your food chemical-free.
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