Science Behind Fruit Sticker & Genetic Modification (GMO)?

What manufacture labels tell you regarding your vegetables and fruits?

The science behind fruit sticker & genetic modification When you reach for a piece of fruit or vegetable at the market, you will notice a small sticker on the fruit skin with numbers. The amount is named a PLU code, or a price-lookup code. You will be shocked by what that turn out sticker reveals.

What is PLU Codes in Fruit Sticker?

PLU (Price look-up) codes have been utilized by supermarkets since 1990 to help checkers identify fruits and vegetables so that they will charge the proper value and maintain higher internal control. However, the sticker isn't only for checkout.

The four- or five-digit numbers determine the manufacture, indicating the size, growing methodology, variety of food (apple or orange, for instance) and selection (such as a Honey crisp or Golden Delicious apple).

The voluntary labels tell you whether or not you're buying organic or conventionally mature manufacture.

What fruits and vegetables are genetically modified?

More than 90% of all soybean cotton and corn acreage in the U.S. is used to grow genetically engineered crops. Other popular and approved food crops include sugar beets, alfalfa, canola, papaya and summer squash. 

More recently, apples that don't brown and bruise-free potatoes were also approved by the FDA.

How do you know if the fruit is GMO?

• If it is a 4-digit number, the food is conventionally produced. This food may or may not be genetically modified.
• If it is a 5-digit number beginning with an 8, it is GM. ...
• If it is a 5-digit number beginning with a 9, it is organic and is not genetically modified.

Which fruits are genetically modified (GMO)?

Most frozen fruits and vegetables are non-GMO (Genetically Modified) unless they are or contain one of these high-risk crops or their ingredient derivatives: corn, papaya, cotton, sugar beets, soy (edamame/soybeans), canola, cotton, zucchini, and yellow summer squash.

How do GMOs benefit the environment?

GMOs also reduce the number of pesticides that need to be sprayed, while simultaneously increasing the number of crops available to be eaten and sold. Over the last 20 years, GMOs have reduced pesticide applications by 8.2% and helped increase crop yields by 22%.

What happens if you eat the sticker on an apple?

So what happens when you eat a produce sticker? Fortunately, you will not die. While the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has listed food additives and adhesives that can be used safely on produce, but there is debate over whether produce stickers and the glue on them are actually safe to consume.