I read an article online today about how to tell if the produce in the grocery store is conventional, organic or genetically-modified. Here's the article from http://green.yahoo.com/blog/forecastearth/25/cracking-the-produce-codes.html.
Forecast Earth
Cracking the Produce Codes
By Jay Weinstein, Forecast Earth Food Correspondent
Posted Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:44am PDT
Have you ever looked at two bins of apples, one labeled "organic," and the other "conventional," and wondered if the apples might not be the same? I have. And since discovering a little secret of the produce industry, I've found that you really have to be a detective in the aisles these days.
The secret is the price look-up (PLU) codes. They're an international numbering standard that identifies each type of produce, so that computerized cash registers can ring up the cost of fruits and vegetables automatically. They're also a powerhouse of information for savvy shoppers. The code indicates whether the item is a conventional, organic or genetically modified (GM) crop.
The codes are based on four-digit numbers for conventional produce, to which an extra digit is added to indicate organic or GM status. If the number is five digits beginning with a 9, then the item is organic. If the item is five digits beginning in 8, then it is a genetically modified crop.
For example, the PLU code for bananas is 4011. If the PLU sticker on the banana bunch reads 94011, then they are organic bananas. If the PLU sticker reads 84011, then the bananas are a genetically modified variety.
There are PLU code stickers on virtually every piece of fruit, banded around every head of lettuce or bunch of spinach, and stamped onto the bag of every bag of organic salad greens. But that doesn't prevent certain confused grocers from mislabeling them. I've discovered conventional Fuji apples (4129) in the "organic Fuji apples" (94129) bin many times. It's strange that I've never found organic apples in the conventional bin.
In any case, knowing the codes will ensure that you get what you intended to get every time you shop.
Jay Weinstein's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.
Monday, April 14, 2008
How to Tell if Produce is Conventional, Organic or Genetically-Modified
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2 comments:
After navigating my way through so much, it's nice to see a compact, thoughtful, and well-illustrated blog -- you're one of the champs in this. And the ideas really start to flow, in reading what you've jotted down and researched: Thanks!
In reading other students's blogs and thinking about my own, I'm struck with the lack of anything to grab and keep my attention. It's not our fault...we're all reading and writing about the same articles, and it takes a lot to stare at a web page reiterating what we just spent hours reading already. If anyone is going to trudge through them, they must have something to please the eye! I would recommend that for the next class you require a blogsite, you also require illustrations for every single thing they say. Otherwise, uggh!
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