We can all rest a bit easier and breathe a bit deeper because another urban legend has been laid to rest. According to Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, those numerical PLU code labels stuck on grocery store produce (which we have been taught to scrutinize) do NOT indicate whether the produce has been genetically modified or not.
According to Smith’s recent blog on The Huntington Post: The 4-digit PLU codes on the sometimes-pain-in-the-neck labels glued to apples, for example, tell the checkout lady which is a small Fuji (4129) and which is a Honeycrisp (3283). She’ll know what to charge you and the inventory elves will know what’s what. If there’s a 5-digit code starting with 9, then it’s organic. These numbers, organized by the Produce Marketing Association, have nothing to do with you. According to Kathy Means, Association Vice President of Public Relations and Government Affairs, this is an optional convention for retailers and their supplier and is not designed as a communication tool for customers. If you want to know which items are organic, look for the word Organic; and stop squinting at tiny codes.
Those that run PLU-universe figured that someday some retailer might want to distinguish between a GMO and a non-GMO for price or inventory purposes. So they created a convention of 5 digits starting with an 8, just in case it catches on. But it hasn’t. No one uses that number 8 as far as we can tell. And why would they? Most Americans say they would avoid GMOs if they were labeled.
Unfortunately this “rumor” has been circulated for years and years and on some of the very best natural health websites. As Smith indicates there actually was cause for concern about “how” the numbers would be used but it looks like someone took a “might-happen” and made it into a “for sure” and the rest is history.
Some seed companies don’t even want gardeners to know which seed is genetically modified. One company that sells zucchini seeds outfitted with virus genes announced that they would refuse to sell seed packets in Vermont, since the state legislature requires GM seeds to be labeled.
So now we have one less thing to worry about….or do we? If all of this information leaves you scratching your head about how to find out what is genetically modified and what is not, take a trip over to www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com and peruse the long lists of non-GMO and GMO brands by category. You can download a two-page version, order the pocket guide, or even equip your iPhone with the new app “ShopNoGMO”.
Smith says that “although a list of non-GMO brands won’t help you figure out if your produce is genetically modified, the great news is that there are only 4 GMO veggies or fruits at this point: papaya, but only from Hawaii and no where else; some zucchini and yellow squash, and some corn on the cob. For these, unless it says organic or boasts a non-GMO sign in the store, eating them is a gamble. It could be GMO.”
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology. His first book, Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book on GMOs. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, documents 65 health risks of the GM foods Americans eat everyday.
Tags: genetically modified foods, GMO Foods, Jeffrey Smith, organic produce, PLU codes, PLU codes urban legend
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