Got codes for fruits and veggies?

My local independent natural food stores now have little stickers on most of the produce items, which includes a code number, and often includes country of origin. Here's how to de-code those code numbers:

If the code number is only 4 digits long, the produce item was conventionally grown (non-organic).

If the code number is five digits long, that means one of two things:

Five-digit codes beginning with the number 8 mean that the item is genetically modified.

Five-digit codes beginning with the number 9 mean that the item is organically grown.

The source for this information was nutritionist Karma Metzgar of the University of Missouri. And here is a link for the article where I first saw this information:


www.unknowncountry.com...


As a further example, here are some codes for fruits and vegetables I recently bought:

Bartlett pear - 4409
Pomegranate - 3127
Red grapes - 94032
pippin apple - 94139
spaghetti squash - 94776

Most of the fruits and vegetables I buy, however, are from local farmer's markets where no code numbers are yet in use. At those farmer's markets, I look for farmstands that are there on a regular basis, and who have proof posted of their organic certification. Nowadays I only shop at chain grocery stores in dire emergencies. - Hope this info is helpful to you.

This is great info. Thanks!

here are a few codes for fruits and vegetables for ps2

lemon is left right right right up down up down L2 L2 Square

i think pear is left down right up left down right up R1 R2 L1 L2

i have a few other ones but i'll have to check my cheat book

ooo those kinda codes

i used to be a cashier at a grocery store.. learning all those codes was fun!

Originally posted by The Phantom
here are a few codes for fruits and vegetables for ps2

lemon is left right right right up down up down L2 L2 Square

I think pear is left down right up left down right up R1 R2 L1 L2

I have a few other ones but i'll have to check my cheat book

Um.....LOL Well I saw some crazy responses on ATS... But I think this tops them all hehe

What game are you speaking of? (U2U me please)

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I did see numbers on fruits but didn't pay any attention to them. I'll be sure to avoid the ones that start with 8.

oh i was just having some fun those aren't real codes for any real video games that i've ever played

How very cool! Now I'm going to go have to take notes on veggies and see what really IS there!

Are the fruit and vegetable codes universal. Does #1234 code for the same produce at every major grocery outlet? Or do the codes vary from chain to chain, store to store? For example #1234 could code for Navel oranges at Walmart, cellery at Albertsons, and onions at Safeway. Or #1234 could code for apples at an Albertsons in Peioria Illinois, but would code for pears at an Alberson's in Spokane Washington.

well i know from experience working in a grocery store called ralphs in southern California that the codes for produce were the same at all of them

Yes, as far as I know, the codes are universal in the sense that the same code number is applied to a particular type of fruit or vegetable, no matter where it is purchased.

I will continue to collect produce labels and will update this thread later on with some examples, so that ATS users can compare those codes with the codes in their own local stores. I live in the Southern California mountains, but there does not seem to be a geographic aspect to the produce codes I have seen so far. On the other hand, the labels I have seen are all printed in English only, so who knows?

Anyway, it's good to know that there's a way to tell for sure whether your fruit or veggies are conventionally produced, genetically modified, or definitely organically grown.

Yes, the codes are the same throughout the country. Nearly all the labels are placed on the product in the packing facility, not in the store, and all the produce that comes up from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, etc., or down from Canada have the same numbers on them as domestically grown items. (That's probably due to the export to USA designation rather than using the same codes world-wide, though they might)

I work at a Walmart and I punch these codes in all the time; I've yet to see any five digit codes so either this story is inaccurate or we don't carry GM stuff. Also, I'm pretty sure we carry organic produce and, as I just said, no five-digit codes. I'm not inclined to believe this story.

[edit on 20-10-2007 by uberarcanist]

For Uberarcanist, here is a link to a PDF document at the website of an international produce trade group which does verify the existence of both 4 digit and 5 digit codes:


www.plucodes.com...


At the top page of that document, either click on the Search button and type in the word Organic (using the capital O), then click on the "Case Sensitive option" and do that search. The first result that pops up should be from page 7 of this document which discusses the current versions of these produce codes. Or, just search on the word organic which as of today shows the usage on page 7 as the third choice, counting from the top of that list.

I don't know why Wal-Mart's codes appear to be different. I don't shop there. Maybe their computer system has not stayed curent with the code changes??? Is it possible they are selling conventional produce as organic? That actually seems unlikely to me because who would want that bad publicity?

[edit on 11/5/2007 by Uphill]