GMOs, agrochemicals or a healthy product: what do the numbers on fruit labels mean

On most fruits that are sold through hypermarket chains today, small colored stickers can be found. Most often they are on bananas, mangoes, apples, pears and various citrus fruits. In addition to the name and trademarks of the manufacturer, on these stickers you can find a digital code. But this is not the marking of the country of origin or signs for accounting for the goods, as you might think, but encrypted information about the conditions under which the product was grown and how it belongs to genetically modified species. Of course, on most fruits sold through small grocery stores or in markets, this labeling does not happen, however, it is useful to know what the numbers on the labels mean.

Strictly speaking, the PLU code, and this is the name of the numbers we are discussing, is not only information about the method of cultivation, but also a whole system of codes that allows you to determine the place of growth of the fruit, its category and other information. But we are primarily interested in the use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as belonging to GMO plants.

Code starting with 3 or 4

So, on bananas and many other fruits, a four-digit code most often occurs, which begins with the numbers 3 or 4. The most common type of label informs customers that the product has been grown with the maximum use of modern agricultural chemistry. This is primarily the use of mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, which are used to control weeds and pests. Most of the products of plant origin belong to this type, since modern agriculture is highly dependent on the use of agricultural chemistry.

Code starting with number 9

Another category of products is labeled with 5 digits starting with 9. Such fruits and vegetables are produced using organic technology, are usually more expensive and often have an inscription in addition to the code Organic, which will also help you navigate the origin of the product. This variant of production, of course, is preferable, but it is not so much in comparison with the previous group.

Code starting with number 8

And the third five-digit version of the code, which starts with 8. This marking means that you have a product that not only breeders worked on, but also specialists in the field of genetic engineering. That is, this is the very genetically modified product, the sale of which is prohibited in our country. But when going on vacation abroad, you are likely to come across such labels if you decide to stroll around grocery supermarkets.

The PLU code digital identification system was developed in the United States and is currently controlled by a trading organization called the Produce Marketing Association.