Sticky But Useful Fruit Labels
This looked like an interesting article. It was posted in the Philadelphia
Enquirer. I checked the numbers on the fruit around here and it all has only 4
numbers right now.
Sarah
Posted on Wed, Jun. 26, 2002
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, Del.-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.
- Maria Gallag