Decoding those pesky PLUs

From over at Serious Eats, an article on decoding PLU stickers.

It turns out that there is more there, there, then you might immediately infer. For example:

Conventional produce gets a four-digit number. Organic produce gets a five-digit number that starts with 9. Genetically modified items also get a five-digit code, but that code starts with 8.

4139: Conventional Granny Smith apple
94139: Organic Granny Smith
84139: GMO Granny Smith

There is also coding that will tell you that a specific item was grown in a specific country or region. Read the article for links to learn more than you ever thought you might want to know on PLU codes.

But don't look for cacao (it's a fruit) - at least not in the US or Venezuela. It's not in the list of foods that have PLU codes.