Do you know what the codes mean on your fruits and vegetables?

If you're concerned about ingesting pesticides, there's a way to tell how your fruits and vegetables were produced. The little PLU code stickers carry a lot of information. Every fruit or vegetable has a 4 digit code assigned to it.

For example, bananas are coded 4011. If those 4 digits stand alone, that means the bananas were conventionally grown or "traditionally" grown, most likely using pesticides.

If the code has 5 digits starting with 9 (i.e. 94011), it has been organically grown without the use of toxic chemical pesticides or herbicides.

A 5 digit code beginning with an 8 (i.e. 84011), indicates that it has been genetically engineered, which indicates that it contains genes from other sometimes dissimilar organisms, i.e. bacteria. This also means it has been engineered to withstand the application of massive amounts of glyphosate (the controversial ingredient in Roundup) during its growth. Almost all corn and soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered unless labeled organic.

So, if you want to be safe, read the produce codes so you know what you are buying. However, since PLU codes are not mandatory, your safest bet is to buy organic.

More information here: [consumerreports.org]

And here: [nongmoshoppingguide.com]