Vegetables & Fruit Sticker information

Stickers attached to the fruits and vegetables  

The PLU code/ price lookup number determines if  the product is:

• genetically modified, 
• organic  
• produced with chemical fertilizers, 
• fungicides  
• herbicides.

1. A four-digit code beginning with a 3 or a 4

• Produce is probably conventionally grown. The 
• Last digits of the code represent the kind of the fruit or vegetable 
• Example, bananas are always labeled with the code of 4011.

2. If there are five numbers, the first # is “8″, it is genetically modified. 

• Genetically modified banana (GE=genetically engineered or GMO) would contain the numbers 84011.

3. A five-digit numbers starting with a 9 means the item is organic.

• Organic bananas are labeled with 94011.

EWG ( The Environmental Working Group) analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items.

The Environmental Protection Agency warns, consumption of pesticides can cause

• Birth defects
• Nerve damage
• Cancer
• Other effects occur over a long period of time. 
• Children are especially harmed from pesticides.

Always buy Organic especially these Fruits and Vegetables  

The Dirty Dozen Plus

Best to grow your own, but these foods have very high pesticide loads if not organic. 

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Hot Peppers
• Nectarines (imported)
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Kale/Collard Greens
• Summer Squash

Clean 15

EWG found relatively low pesticide residue in these.  

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Sweet Corn [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you want to avoid GMOs, eat only organic corn/]
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Papayas [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you want to avoid GMOs eat only organic papaya.]
• Pineapples
• Sweet Peas
• Sweet Potatoes

The EWG also notes that 99 percent of apples, 98 percent of peaches and 97 percent of nectarines all tested positive for at least one pesticide residue, while the average (white) potato had more pesticides by weight than any other produce!

http://www.realfarmacy.com/plu-code-fruit/   (Plus)