Friday, July 4, 2008

Read the Numbers on Your Fruit

When I first received this email, I was curious as to what the title meant. What does it mean by "read the numbers on the fruit"? See the email below.


START EMAIL

I just found this out about a month ago and I've been an organic vegan for over four years, go figure. That just goes to say that we must all remain as students and continue to learn and learn — never stop studying and gaining new information.



Okay, so what did I learn?

I learned that sticker labels on the fruits actually tell you how the fruits have been grown — whether they were organically grown or conventionally grown with pesticides and herbicides; oh, and let's not forget about the genetically engineered fruits.

Conventional Fruit Labels
Four digits and does not start with 9
** mostly starting with the digit 4

Organic Fruit Labels
Five digits and starts with number 9

Genetically Modified Fruits
Start with the digit 8

** this is good to know because stores aren't obligated to tell you if a fruit has been genetically modified (grrr….)

Okay, so if you come across an apple in the store and it's labels 4922, it's a conventional apple grown with herbicides and harmful fertilizers. If it has a sticker 99222, it's organic and safe to eat. If it says 89222, then RUN!!!! It has been genetically modified (GMO).

So next time you go shopping, remember these critical numbers and know how to avoid purchasing inorganic and GMO fruits. Shop Safe :)

END EMAIL



I was not sure if this was true or not, so I went to my reliable Google and search for "what does the sticker labels on fruit mean". Turns out that there are tons of articles and blog posts on this.

I am not sure if in Malaysia, they label fruits like that, but I am going to find out the next time I go to a fruit stall.