A few days ago my mother casually advised me to pay more attention to stickers when buying fruit and veggies as they hold some critical info. So, I became curious and wondered what these numbers really meant. It turns out that sticker labels (produce codes) on fruits actually tell you how the fruit have been grown. Definitely something to pay attention to next time you pick your fruit and veggies.

Three types of labels that you’ll come across :

Organic Fruit Labels

Organically grown produce have five digits and start with a number 9

Organic - Label starting with #9
Organic – Label starting with #9

These numbers tell you that the fruit or produce is grown and raised organically without being treated with any chemicals.

Conventional Fruit Labels

Conventionally grown produce have four digits and start with a 3 or a 4

Conventional – Label starting with #4

Β Yes, that means produce was sprayed with pesticides and chemicals that you may have been trying to avoid.

Genetically Modified Fruits

Genetically modified produce start with the number 8

GMO - Label starting with #8
GMO – Label starting with #8

Not only has this kind of produce been genetically modified, it might have further been treated with harmful chemicals too!

Now that you know what each label means, you can start becoming pickier with your produce. AS IF you didn’t already have enough decisions to be picky about. HaHa. Happy shopping! πŸ™‚

4 COMMENTS

  1. Very useful information, I didn’t know that! I’m not sure whether it applies to all countries, but it’s good information to keep in mind. πŸ™‚

    • The metrics on these labels are based on the states; not sure about other countries. I haven’t looked into it. Glad you found it useful. πŸ™‚

  2. Useful information here! As someone who eats only organic and use organic products, I know how important knowing and understanding labels can be! This was great intro tip for beginners,

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