If you have ever been to the grocery store, you’ve seen stickers on fruits and vegetables. The 4-digit codes on produce can tell you a lot about your food! Find out what the codes on produce mean, and why they are there.
What Do the Codes on Produce Mean?
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Have you seen the 4-digit codes on stickers on the fruits and vegetables in the produce section? If you’ve ever used the self checkout aisles at the grocery store, you probably had to punch that code into the computer before you weighed your apples. Or if you chose a not-so-common vegetable, you may have had to wait while the cashier looked up the code so you could finish checking out. What are those codes on fruit and vegetables, and what do they mean?
PLU Code
Those codes are called Price Look Up codes, or PLU codes. They are maintained by the International Federation for Produce Standards (the IFPS). You can find a list of every PLU code on their website here.
All bulk or loose produce is assigned a PLU code. This includes fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, herbs, and nuts. Although all produce has a PLU code, the actual use of the PLU codes is voluntary. There is no agency that regulates them, and nothing that requires a company to use them. Most grocery stores do use PLU codes as an easy way to manage inventory and pricing.
But What Does it Mean?
The PLU code is simply a way to identify the produce that you’re buying. All PLU codes are between 3000-4999. Some codes will have a number ‘9’ in front of the 4-digit code. The ‘9’ indicates that the produce is organic.
The PLU system used to include the option of a number ‘8’ in front of the 4-digit code. The ‘8’ indicated that the produce was genetically modified (GMO). Since there are very few produce items that are genetically modified, retailers simply weren’t using the ‘8’ designation for GMO. The International Federation for Produce Standards has discontinued this designation. The leading number ‘8’ will now just be more codes for conventional produce (83000-83999) or organic produce (84000-84999).
Is There More Information on the Stickers?
Some stickers on fruits and vegetables can give you more information about the produce. This watermelon sticker includes the PLU code 3421, and that it was grown in Florida by Frey Farms.
The Fugi and Gala apples were grown by Superfresh Growers in Washington, and the Koru apple is from New Zealand. (Every variety of apple has its own PLU code.)
This tomato PLU code is 3151 and it was grown in the United States. Both the bell peppers were grown by Sunset in Canada. The PLU code for the red bell pepper is 4688, and the yellow bell pepper is 4689. From the PLU code definitions, I know that the tomato was vine-ripened, and the bell peppers were grown in a greenhouse.
You can look up PLU codes here, and find more information about the fruits and vegetables in your grocery store.
Are the Stickers Edible?
Well, not exactly. While you can eat them, the stickers on fruits and vegetables have no nutritional value. The FDA has requirements for what can be used as an adhesive on food. These products are safe to be in contact with food. While eating the occasional sticker on a piece of fruit or vegetable probably won’t hurt, there is a risk of choking. And you won’t gain any nutrition from it. So make it a practice to thoroughly wash your produce and remove the stickers before you eat it.
Before you head out to the grocery store, be sure to check on what fresh fruits and vegetables are in season, and be sure you have enough room to store them when you come home.
Enjoy!
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