Produce Labels
Check the number on the little label on your apple or squash. It'll help you make sure what you're buying is organic and nongenetically modified.
Genetically modified (GM) foods have been in stores only since the 1990s, so we don't know the long-term health risks, and in a recent study by the Austrian government, GM corn was found to affect fertility in mice. Mainstream scientists are concerned that GM organisms will reduce biodiversity.
Although farmers can use some naturally occurring pesticides on organic foods, they're way less harmful than the synthetic kind. Foodies everywhere agree that the range of possible flavors is greater when we just let Mother Nature do her thing.
Look for the PLU codes on the labels stuck on your fruits and veggies.
- A four-digit number means it's conventionally grown.
- A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic.
- A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's genetically modified.
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