Important Things That You Need To Know About Fruit Labels Before Buying Them

By Sravia Sivaram

on July 17, 2017

We all like to relish the sweet taste of fruits and also enjoy its abundant health benefits. Fruits contain essential vitamins and sugars that can provide us with abundant energy all throughout the day.

But we usually don't pay attention to the labels that are stuck on the fruit. These labels contain price lookup numbers or PLU code.

Did you know that apart from using these labels to scan the price, they also can tell you a lot more about the quality of the fruit?

The PLU code on the sticker can help you decide whether the product is organic or genetically modified and produced with fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers.

It is important that you learn to read the labels in order to avoid buying the ones that are of low quality. The PLU code printed on the sticker tells you how the fruit was grown.

Should Fruits Be Eaten On An Empty Stomach? Read To Find Out

In this article, we have listed the significance of the numbers on fruit. The fruit labels that start with 3, 4, 8, 9, etc., indicate certain facts that will help you select the right kind of fruit. Below are the pointers that you must make a note of.

a. If There Are Only Four Numbers In The PLU:

If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally with the use of pesticides. The last four letters of the PLU code indicate what kind of a fruit or vegetable it is.

b. If The Code Begins With 3 or 4:

If the 4-digit code begins with the number 3 or 4, it means that the product is more likely to be grown conventionally. This means that the fruit labels starting with 3 will be labeled as 4011.

c. If The First Digit Of The Code Is 8:

If the first digit on the sticker is 8 in a line of 4 other numbers, then it is said that the product is genetically modified. Then the fruit labels starting with 8 will be 84011.

d. If The Code Begins With A 9:

If the 5-digit code begins with number 9, then this means that the product is organic. Then, the code on the fruit will go as 94011.

Now let's take a look at the points to be noted before buying the labelled fruit.

Point #1. Avoid Fruits Laden With Pesticides:

The utilization of pesticides can cause some serious health issues and damage overtime like nerve damage, birth defects and even cancer.

Point #2. Most Pesticide Sprayed Fruits:

Some of the most pesticide sprayed fruits are strawberries, spinach, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, carrots, oranges, etc.

Point #3. Safe And Organic Fruits:

The ones that are considerably safe and free of pesticides are sweet corn, avocado, pineapple, cabbage, onion, frozen sweet peas, papaya, asparagus, mango, brinjal, kiwi, sweet potatoes, etc.