[SymphonicHealth] More info: Lables on Fruit (fwd)

[Guest guest]

Here's a little chart for your memory, purse or pocket:

4 digits = Conventionally grown, Commercial food

5 digits:

beginning w/8 = GMO, genetically engineered

beginning w/9 = Organically grown

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Philadelphia Inquirer

June, 26, 2002

Sticky But Useful Fruit Labels

by Gallagher

As much as we may dislike them, the stickers or labels attached to

fruit speed up the scanning process at checkout.

Cashiers no longer need to distinguish a Fuji apple from a Gala

apple, a prickly pear from a horned melon, or a grapefruit from an

ugli fruit.

They simply key in the PLU code - the price lookup number printed on

the sticker - and the market's computerized cash register identifies

the fruit by its PLU.

The numbers also enable retailers to track how well individual

varieties are selling.

For conventionally grown fruit, the PLU code on the sticker consists

of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU

prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered fruit has a

five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8.

So, a conventionally grown banana would be 4011, an organic banana

would be 94011, and a genetically engineered banana would be 84011.

The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic

Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing

Association, a Newark, Del.-based trade group for the produce

industry. As of October 2001, the board had assigned more than 1,200

PLUs for individual produce items.

Fruit companies hear plenty of complaints from consumers about

hard-to-remove stickers. Retailers gripe that stickers fall off or

become marred during transport.

In response, some shippers have begun using stickers designed with

tabs that make them easier to lift off, and are buying equipment

that applies adhesive to the sticker but not to the tab.

Companies are also experimenting with different sticker materials,

such as vinyl, that hold up under a variety of temperature and

moisture conditions.

The adhesive now used to attach the stickers is food-grade, but the

stickers themselves aren't edible. To remove stubborn ones, soak in

warm water for a minute or two.