Organic or GMO?

Did you know that the PLU (price look-up) code of produce tells you whether it's organic or genetically-modified?

* The PLU codes on fruit and vegetables contain four numbers (i.e., 4859).
* If produce is organic, the PLU code is 5 numbers starting with a 9 (i.e., 94859).
* If you see 5 numbers starting with an 8, (i.e., 84859), that means the fruit or vegetable is a GMO (a genetically-modified organism).

Of course, you'll see signs loudly marketing fruits and vegetables as organic so you probably won't have to examine the PLU to figure that out. However, for those "quiet" GMOs that have found their way into the food system and consequently into our diets, here's a way to keep them out!

- Katherine Kwon, Communications Project Manager