Our produce in US food markets and markets around the world contains PLU stickers. The following clip is copied from HealthKeepers Magazine, Summer 2010…”KNOW YOUR FOODS…By reading the Price Look-Up (PLU) code on the sticker, you can tell if fruit or vegetables are genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides or herbicides. For conventionally grown fruit (grown with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and other chemicals), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-number PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GE or GMOP) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. For example, a conventionally grown banana would be 4011, an organic banana would be 94011 and a GMO or GE banana would be 84011.”
I love this kind of practical information needed to help us make informed decisions about our food choices. I looked online to verify this information. plucodes.com. This website is run by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS)…see their home page for further information. They confirmed that all produce items have a 4 digit PLU code numbered from 3000-4999 currently. If you put a 9 in front of the 4 digit code then it means the item is organically grown. It is genetically engineered if there is an 8 in front it. But it did not say anything about what the 4 digit code meant when standing alone…one can assume that chemicals were used in some fashion.
So, buy as much organically grown produce as possible. (Look for that #9___ PLU). Buy locally (http://www.localharvest.org/ or http://locallygrown.net/markets/list or http://www.farmfresh.org/). Grow your own produce. Clean all produce properly (http://tipnut.com/produce-wash/). Do not eat genetically engineered foods! (Go to http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/10/20/gm-foods-part-seven.aspx for information and related articles on genetically modified foods). According to thedailygreen.com, watch out for the “dirty dozen”: peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, leafy greens, grapes, carrots, pears, potatoes and tomatoes. The top 14 non-organic foods you can buy? Onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli and sweet potatoes.
No human or animal was created to ingest chemicals or genetically engineered foods! Decrease your toxic load while supporting the changes needed in our food industry.