Who Puts Stickers on Fruit?
 |
| Numbers on Fruit Stickers |
What are there Stickers on Fruit
The stickers on the fruits mark the country and therefore the producer, however, few people understand the meaning of the numbers on the stickers. If there are four digits and so the first is four, it means that the fruit has been sprayed with pesticides. If there are five numbers and the first is nine, the fruits have grown organically. If there are five digits and the first is eight, the fruits have been genetically modified.
PLU stands for price look-up. These codes are found on the little stickers on the fruits. However, numbers are assigned by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS). Believe it or not, these very small numbers really have meaning, and there are also other data needed on the label!
Fruit and vegetable stickers
PLU Codes For Fruits and Vegetables
 |
Stickers on fruit
|
Why fruits have stickers
Numbers on Fruit Stickers
All PLU codes start with three or four. The IFPS standardized the method and set aside a block of numbers for the specific purpose of creating a standard code for retailers. Notwithstanding where the fruits are grown and where it is oversubscribed, similar fruit usually has the same variety. A 4011 banana in Florida could be a banana in the United States of Mexico, and it is still the Republic of Ecuador. It is simply a commercial system that makes who creates which makes it easier to locate the products.
It should be noted, however, that totally different codes are assigned to different kinds of a similar product. For example, after searching for "banana" in the IFPS information, you will use ten totally different PLU codes for ten kinds of bananas - and they are all valid!
All PLU codes have four digits. the only exception is once a distinct distinctive variety precedes the PLU code. For example, 4051 is the PLU code for small papayas. However, you might see papayas with PLU code 8-4051 or 94051 (the hyphen is not necessary so you will not see it). The code for papaya continues to be a similar code - 4051 - but the previous numbers, the eight and the nine, tell you a little more about the fruit:
Fruit stickers
If the PLU code is preceded by 8, it is a GMO Food. Genetically modified food.
If the PLU code is preceded by 9, it is a portion of organic food.
If the PLU code is not preceded by the 8 or 9 (it is a four-digit number beginning with three or four), it is conventionally grown food.
So, at a glance, you can simply see if a food is grown in a conventional way (starts with a 3 or 4), is it grown organically (starts with a 9), or could be a genetically modified food (starts with an 8).
Also Read:
