Numeric PLU codes are used on produce to identify how food is grown. However, they might not be as reliable a source of information as we might hope. They can tell us quite a bit of information, but one of
Numeric PLU codes are used on produce to identify how food is grown. However, they might not be as reliable a source of information as we might hope.
They can tell us quite a bit of information, but one of the problems is they are not enforceable. So here’s what we can learn from those little stickers on bananas and peaches.
If there are four numbers on the PLU code it means that the fruit or veggie was grown conventionally. In this day and age that means with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, artificial fertilizers and genetically modified organisms. If there are five numbers starting with the number 8, it means the food is GMO. Five numbers starting with the number 9 means the food was grown organically. Fair enough.
PLU stands for “Price Look Up,” and is a code used by grocers for their convenience — not really for consumer information. The codes identify such things about the produce as its type, its size, where it was grown and how it was grown. They’ve been around since 1990, and make checkout and inventory easier for grocers.
Most produce PLU codes start with a 0, but many times that is simply omitted, and just the four following numbers are used. Also, as a consumer, we cannot depend on the stickers to let us know if an item is GMO or organic because the use of PLU codes is optional, and many grocers don’t use them.
Many producers know that people want organic and not GMO, so they will not use stickers on their produce because they don’t want to identify them as GMO or non-organic.
The only way you can know for sure if your produce is organic is if it is explicitly labeled as such, or bears the wording “organic.” Same with non-GMO. The food labels or stickers must state that it is GMO-free or non-GMO. Items that are labeled 100 percent organic are by definition, non-GMO.
The United States does not have any government-sponsored food labeling system that identifies whether or not a food contains genetically modified material. However, government regulations do prohibit the presence of genetically engineered material in food that is labeled as produced under organic growing and production processes.
By the way, last year Monsanto released its first direct-to-consumer product — a GM sweet corn that contains Bt, a toxin that ruptures the stomach of any insect that tries to feed on the corn before it is harvested for you to eat.
Monsanto claims that the toxin breaks down before the corn is served to your family, but in some studies, lab rats that were fed the corn showed organ failure and the Bt toxin has been detected in the bodies of pregnant women. After these investigations were published, other researchers claimed that there were flaws in the original methodology and that there is no evidence that Bt toxins are harmful to humans. What do you think?
• Jane Riley, M.S., B.A., C.P.T., Certified Nutritional Adviser, can be reached at janerileyfitness@gmail.com, 212-1451 or www.janerileyfitness.com.
