Those really annoying little stickers that you have to peel off your apples should be paid attention to, as they have a code on them, which tells you whether or not they are organic or genetically modified. With all the recent business about whether or not we should know if our food is genetically modified or not – hello – OF COURSE we have a right to know!! – it’s useful to at least be able to de-code produce stickers.
All you need to know is that every produce item that’s sold in a grocery store comes with a 4-digit PLU (price look-up) code on the sticker. Some produce items have an extra digit added to the beginning – a number 8 or a number 9. 
- 8 means that it is genetically modified
- 9 means that it is organic
Here’s how I remember:
- 3 or 4 is a BORE
- 8 – I HATE
- 9 is FINE
So the next time you go grocery shopping check out the stickers, especially in stores like Whole Foods, which purport to carry everything organic, but when you start looking at those stickers, you’ll realize that you have to sometimes hunt long and hard to find digits beginning with a #9.
Finally, here’s a quick reminder of the produce items that you really do need to buy organic (because of pesticide exposure), listed in descending order of importanceStrawberries (and all berries)
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Pears
- Apples
- Celery
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
Important items left out…all Berries
oh yes Karen – you are right – strawberries are the worst, but ALL berries should be Organic for sure.
Sophie,
On your list, #1 and #5 are both apples – should #5 be different?
Shelagh
OMG thanks for pointing that out. I thought it was odd that berries weren’t on there – #1 was supposed to be berries – so all is now corrected!
Sophie,
recently i bought sunkist oranges comes with 4 digits, but i realise it doesnt has seeds..
is it gmo or typical?
I recently saw some that numbers started with 3? Do you know what those are?
numbers that start with a 3 and 4 are not organic and not GMO
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Where do grapes fall on this list? I would like organic grapes since everyone eats the skin. Organic grapes are really hard to find sometimes.
i bought organic strawberries at trader joes and the sku number didn’t start with the number 9 it was an 8. I’m sooo confused.
Ann
the 5 digits beginning with 8 means they are genetically modified plants. Ugh – complicated but good to know.
what if a code begins with a 6, 7, 5 or 2 and contain 5 numbers. i have a label that 58010/11138. could you please explain
Is there a code for irradiated fruit?