Who knew - PLU codes...

Recently I saw someone post something about how the Price Look-Up (PLU) code could tell you about how the produce was grown. If you don't know what that means (I didn't), it's the sticker on the produce with the bar code and number (and apparently the sticky stuff used to stick is food grade, so it's ok if you can't get rid of all the sticky stuff - so annoying...). I have to be honest when I figured it was a scam, but turns out it's true - who knew...

So there are a few things to keep in mind:

If it has 4 numbers: the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides. Why this is called conventional is another mystery :) The last four letters of the PLU code tell you what kind of vegetable or fruit it is - so these stay the same for conventional, organic, and GMO. For example, like the red bell pepper shown above, all red bell peppers are 4688.

If it has five numbers starting with “9”, the produce was grown organically. An organic red bell pepper is then 94688.

If it has five numbers starting with “8”, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified (GE or GMO) fruit or vegetable. Since these can't be considered organic, you will never eat organic produce that are grown from genetically modified seeds. So for example, a genetically engineered (GE or GMO) pepper would be: 84688.

If you want to learn more, the organization (IFPS) that does the codes website is here.