When you visit AEON, Giant, MyDin, Tesco supermarket during the weekend, do you found that more and more fruit and vegetable today come with additional barcode sticker stick directly on the fruit or vegetable directly. Do you know what is the function of this small litter barcode? Do you know the name of this barcode?
The Price LookUp Code (PLU code), or price lookup number printed on the sticker, tells you how the fruit was grown. By reading the PLU code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.
Here are the basics of what you should know:
1.If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides. The last four letters of the PLU code are simply what kind of vegetable or fruit. An example is that all bananas are labeled with the code of 4011.
2.If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “8?, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables trump being organic. So, it is impossible to eat organic produce that are grown from genetically modified seeds. A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be: 84011
3.If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “9?, this tells you that the produce was grown organically and is not genetically modified. An organic banana would be: 94011
Conclusion is always look for the fruit and vegetable with 5 digits PLU code and and the first digit always start with 9.