In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Are PLU Codes?How to Read ThemCodes for Conventional ProduceCodes for Organic ProduceFuture Codes
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Are PLU Codes?
How to Read Them
Codes for Conventional Produce
Codes for Organic Produce
Future Codes
Close
Photo: Getty Images
If you’ve ever tried to peel that produce code sticker off a ripe plum only to have it rip off part of the fruit’s skin, then you already have a great mnemonic device for remembering the name for those stickers—just drop the “m” from plum and you have “PLU.” PLU stands for “Price Look Up” but those stickers are more than just barcodes that make it easy for a cashier to ring you up quickly. If you take a closer look, you’ll find a series of four or five digits that can tell you a lot of information about the produce you’re about to purchase or eat, primarily whether it was conventionally or organically grown.
PLU codes can help consumers like you make more informed decisions about the foods they consume. Here are a few simple hacks for deciphering those produce codes. Read on for all the details.
PLU codes are a series of numbers that identify produce sold in retail stores like supermarkets and grocery stores. As mentioned above, the acronym PLU stands for Price Look Up, and the stickers contain barcodes that help cashiers quickly scan items at a point of sale system, or POS.
The PLU codes use ranges in the 3000, 4000, 83000 and 84000 series, according to IFPS.
How to Read PLU Codes
Now that you know what PLU codes are, you’re ready to learn how to read them. Youcanget very specific about what every digit in a PLU code means, but there are generally two types of PLU codes that consumers are interested in knowing about, and these can tell you whether a fruit or vegetable was grown conventionally or organically. These are the types of codes we’ll be breaking down for you in this article.
Four-Digit PLU Codes: Conventional Produce
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Five-Digit PLU Codes: Organic Produce
Five-digit PLU codes indicate that the particular fruit or vegetable has been grown organically. This will appear as a “9” prefix plus the 3000 or 4000 series number, the IFPS explains. This means that the 9 is added to the conventional PLU code. For example, the PLU code for conventional large Hass avocados is 4225, while the PLU code is 94225 for an organic large Hass avocado, notesCalifornia Avocados.
There’s an assumption among many U.S. consumers that organic produce is grown without any pesticides or fertilizers, but that isn’t necessarily true. A five-digit organic PLU code guarantees the consumer that nosyntheticmaterials were used in growing the fruit or vegetable. In other words, five-digit PLU codes tell you that only naturally occurring materials, like manure, were used to fertilize the produce, and that either plant-based pesticides, like neem oil, or sometimes even pest-eating animals were used to deter or kill pests. (Read more aboutorganic labeling from the USDA.)
As previously mentioned, there is very little to no scientific evidence supporting the idea that organic produce has any more nutritional value than conventionally grown produce. However, some synthetic pesticides and fertilizers may contain heavy metals, like cadmium, according to a 2017 review in the journalAnnual Review of Public Health. If you are trying to avoid or diminish the amount of heavy metals in your body, you may want to consider purchasing organic produce. Fortunately, you now know that any produce with a five-digit PLU code sticker on it is organic.
Future PLU Codes Will Be Used
Thanks to a growing demand for PLU codes worldwide, the IFPS will run out of available numbers. That’s why they will start to assign PLU codes with an “8” prefix once they run out of available PLU numbers. The organization notes that new PLU codes for conventionally grown items will be 83000 to 83999, and new PLU codes for organic produce will receive a number of 84000 to 84999. When this happens it may make it more challenging for consumers to quickly identify whether their choice is conventional or organic at the store.
The Bottom Line
PLU codes are one of the many systems put in place to not only protect consumers but also to help them make informed decisions about what foods they put into their bodies. While there is little scientific evidence to support any claims that organic produce is healthier for you, the International Federation for Produce Standards understands that these distinctions are important to a lot of people, and that’s why these codes have been implemented. At the very least, being aware of these different PLU codes can help you avoid paying a lot of money for an organic tomato when you just want a conventional one to throw at a bad stand-up comedian.
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