Article: Sticky Fruit Labels
Sticky Fruit Labels
by: Dr. Janet Starr Hull, Ph.D., CN
http://www.sweetpoison.com/newsletter/
As much as we may dislike them, the stickers or labels
attached to fruit speed up the scanning process at checkout.
Cashiers no longer need to distinguish a Fuji apple from a
Gala apple, a prickly pear from a horned melon, or a grapefruit
from an ugli fruit.
They simply key in the PLU code - the price lookup number
printed on the sticker - and the market's computerized cash
register identifies the fruit by its PLU.
The numbers also enable retailers to track how well individual
varieties are selling.
For conventionally grown fruit, the PLU code on the sticker
consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a
five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically
engineered fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number
8.
So, a conventionally grown banana would be 4011, an organic
banana would be 94011, and a genetically engineered banana
would be 84011.
The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic
Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing
Association, a Newark, Delaware based trade group for the
produce industry. As of October 2001, the board had assigned
more than 1,200 PLUs for individual produce items.
Fruit companies hear plenty of complaints from consumers
about hard-to-remove stickers. Retailers gripe that stickers
fall off or become marred during transport.
In response, some shippers have begun using stickers designed
with tabs that make them easier to lift off, and are buying
equipment that applies adhesive to the sticker but not to the
tab.
Companies are also experimenting with different sticker materials,
such as vinyl, that hold up under a variety of temperature and
moisture conditions.
The adhesive now used to attach the stickers is food-grade,
but the stickers themselves aren't edible. To remove stubborn
ones, soak in warm water for a minute or two.
The good news about these pesty stickers is that consumers
have a chance to tell if the fruit is genetically engineered or
not.
Go into your kitchen and read your stickers. Is that fruit really
organic or gentically engineered?
---------
The Philadelphia Inquire, Wed, Jun. 26, 2002
