hi everyone,

i have not been here for a long time...got really busy.

i remember reading something before about produce numbers on here before and i can't seem to find it again now. 4XXX means regular produce and 9XXX means organic (i think) but what about the 3XXX numbers?

my husband just found out that he loves honey crisp apples but they have 3XXX numbers and i don't remember what that means...

thanks for your help

i hope that you are all well!

mindy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2008 01:37AM by mindy_r.

Food labels what do the numbers mean?


from [findarticles.com]



Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Dec, 2005 by Rose Marie WilliamsE-mail Print Link Are you confused about what the numbers mean on the little stickers attached to individual fruits and vegetables? The PLU (Price look up) codes on produce stickers are used primarily to speed up the checkout process, but also to inform the consumer about what they are buying. The stickers may contain four or five digit codes.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Conventional produce, grown on farms that use synthetic chemical insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers would carry a four-digit sticker beginning with the numeral "4." A conventionally grown banana, for example, would have a sticker that reads "4011."

Organic produce, grown according to standards that use more natural pest controls and fertilizers that nourish the soil, will have five-digit labels beginning with the numeral "9." Bananas grown organically will carry labels that read "94011."

Genetically Engineered (GE) produce would be identified with a five-digit PLU sticker beginning with the numeral "8." A genetically engineered banana would have a label that reads "84011." My supermarket did not have any genetically engineered produce, so I was not able to find any labels beginning with the numeral "8."

All combinations of the four-digit code beginning with the numeral "4" have been used up, so new labels beginning with the numeral "3" will also be used to designate conventionally raised produce.

The produce industry's trade group, The Produce Marketing Association, developed the numeric system to facilitate food identification and source of origin, as well as speed up the checkout process. For the consumer, the important thing to remember is that labels beginning with "9" mean organic, labels beginning with "4" or "3" indicate conventional, and labels beginning with "8" indicate genetically engineered fruits and vegetables.

Labels on processed foods may also be a bit confusing. If a label on processed food states "100% Organic," the product must contain one hundred percent certified organic ingredients. If the label simply says, "Organic," it must have at least 95% organic ingredients. Labels that read, "Made with Organic Ingredients," must have at least 70% organic content. (1)

Exempt growers may also use the term, "organic," usually small farms that abide by organic principles whose sales are less than $5,000 per year. As small operators they are not required to pay the fees or do the extensive record keeping required by the United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). However, they are not permitted to use the official label stating, "Certified USDA Organic." (1)

A word of caution on the term, "natural." It is in no way synonymous with "organic." Nothing in the USDA's National Organic Standards defines or regulates the term, "natural," regarding fruits and vegetables. However, the USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Services (FSIS) regulates the term, "natural," on meat and poultry labels. "Natural" defines a product that contains no artificial ingredients or added color, and that is only minimally processed (not significantly altering the raw product.) (1)

Why Organic?

Organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods, as demonstrated in a study using corn, strawberries, and Marionberries (a type of blackberry). The levels of antioxidants in the sustainably grown crops measured as much as 58.5% higher than the conventionally grown corn, 50% higher than the conventionally grown Marionberries, and 19% higher than conventionally grown strawberries. (2)

Besides having nearly double the nutritional value of conventionally raised foods, organically grown crops have only one-quarter the amount of pesticides. (3) We no longer live in a pristine environment and even organically grown foods are not completely free of pesticide residue. A farm can obtain "organic" certification after three years of no synthetic pesticide or fertilizer application, but persistent chemicals from previous years may linger in the soil. Run-off and drift from conventional farms, golf courses and residential home use can add to the problem as well. However, eating organic is still the best route to follow.

Surveys of data from the USDA, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and Consumer Union tests conclusively show organic fruits and vegetables have significantly less pesticide residue. The following examples illustrate the percentage difference of pesticide residue on a few common food items (4):

Organic Conventional

Grapes 25% 78%
Peaches 50% 93%
Pears 25% 95%
Strawberries 25% 91%
All Fruit 23% 82%
Lettuce 33% 50%
Spinach 47% 84%
Bell Peppers 9% 69%
All Vegetables 23% 65%

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

thanks for the info!

these apples are locally grown here and i thought that local is even better now than organic?? i am not sure! i do know that we are able to get tons of stuff locally grown since we moved to nova scotia. it is great! i LOVE the farmers markets

My market uses the five digit numbers starting with 8 as the bin codes for herbs and spices. Since most genetically engineered foods are unlabeled in the United States, I'd be surprised to see the 8 prefix being used the way you describe.

frances Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My market uses the five digit numbers starting
> with 8 as the bin codes for herbs and spices.
> Since most genetically engineered foods are
> unlabeled in the United States, I'd be surprised
> to see the 8 prefix being used the way you
> describe.

Oh really. It isn't a law that they add an "8" before a gmo piece of produce?

I was wondering because I always hear talk about all this genetically modified food, and yet when I go to my local grocery store I never see anything with an "8" in front of it.

Most European counties, as I understand it, require labeling of genetically modified food, but the U.S. has no such requirement. That said, you're more likely to find GM ingredients in processed foods than in the produce department. The worst offenders are GM corn used to make corn syrup and GM soy used to make nearly everything. Now that they have begun to farm clone animals, it has been decided that there is similarly no need to label meat products in American markets as having derived from cloned animals.

GMOs do not fit the organic requirements, so you can avoid them by buying organics, by knowing your farmers, and/or by being your own farmer. Many products which are not organic may still have a promise on the packaging that there are no GM ingredients, because many consumers are concerned.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2008 07:41PM by frances.