When shopping for fruit have you noticed that several varieties come with labels on them. While some labels depict the country of export, others could even depict a brand. However!! That isn’t the issue; the main issue is a little code number which you may be clueless about.
Fruits have labels which mean a lot and because you may have no idea what they actually mean, you make purchases without knowing how dangerous they could be to your health. If you see this label on fruit, avoid it at all costs. Read on to know why.
1 Why do fruits have labels?
Labels on fruit are known as the PLU number. This stands for Product looking Number. Just as your plastic ware has different codes, fruit too has a PLU number which corresponds to valuable information connected to it. So what do these numbers mean?
The PLU number denotes the process that has gone into producing the fruit. Whether it is organic or grown on commercial farms, whether it has been sprayed with chemicals etc.
2 What do PLU numbers mean?
When the PLU is a 4 digit number that may start with a 3 or a 4, the fruit isn’t GMO food but has been grown in farms which have used pesticides and chemicals.
A number 9 denotes that the fruit is organic and grown without chemicals. That could be the best possible item you could choose. Organic produce is grown without chemicals. But when the number starts with an 8, it is a GMO produce and then you should avoid it at any cost.
3 What are GMO fruit?
If you see this label on fruit denoting a GMO grown fruit, it means that it is a genetically modified produce. It means that the fruit has been genetically modified by making changes to its DNA. Such modification can be effected by inserting DNA of other produce or even bacteria to enhance the growth of the fruit.
Now you know what labels on fruit mean, you can practice caution when making your purchases at your grocery store.
Always Buy Organic Fruits and Vegetables
The Dirty Dozen Plus
These foods have very high pesticide loads and should always be purchased organic or grown yourself!
Apples
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Grapes
Hot Peppers
Nectarines (imported)
Peaches
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries
Sweet Bell Peppers
Kale/Collard Greens
Summer Squash
Clean 15
The following foods were found by EWG to be relatively low in pesticide residue. They may be good conventional options for those on a budget.
Asparagus
Avocados
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Sweet Corn [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you want to avoid GMOs, eat only organic corn/]
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Mangoes
Mushrooms
Onions
Papayas [Editors Note: beware of genetically modified varieties. If you want to avoid GMOs eat only organic papaya.]
Pineapples
Sweet Peas
Sweet Potatoes
The EWG also notes that 99 percent of apples, 98 percent of peaches and 97 percent of nectarines all tested positive for at least one pesticide residue, while the average (white) potato had more pesticides by weight than any other produce!
Source : troab.com, realfarmacy.com
