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?
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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.
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2 What do PLU numbers mean?
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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.
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3 What are GMO fruit?
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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.
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