Thread: One of my most important food shopping tips ever

Originally Posted by KatFish

Thanks so much. I have a sea food allergy and those genetically modified ones cause me so many problems. They inject fish DNA in the plants to make the vegetables more cold tolerant. You just think that tomatoes are a healthy thing to eat until you find yourself in the ER.

Isn't that disgusting to know our plants are part seafood?!! Yuck! My husband like to grow a little garden. I had fresh collards I picked this morning for our New Years Day tradition. My black eyed peas were fresh, frozen and very good. Wish we could grow all our food. But am thinking will start looking in our area to find who grows what things and become a regular at the farmers market...

Originally Posted by quiltjoey

Isn't that disgusting to know our plants are part seafood?!! Yuck! My husband like to grow a little garden. I had fresh collards I picked this morning for our New Years Day tradition. My black eyed peas were fresh, frozen and very good. Wish we could grow all our food. But am thinking will start looking in our area to find who grows what things and become a regular at the farmers market...

I also shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and Earth Fare but you still have to read all the labels and ask questions about where stuff comes from...

According to Snopes, it is true.

What the Sticker on Your Produce Actually Means

Price Look-Up codes (PLUs) are printed on the small stickers attached to fresh produce at the grocery store. These codes are used to make check-out and inventory control easier for the store. They also tell you key pieces of information about the produce, such as how it was grown.

Conventionally grown food can be identified by a four-digit number, such as 4011 for bananas.
Organic food is identified by a a five-digit number that begins with a nine, such as 94011 for bananas.
Genetically modified food is indicated by a five-digit number that begins with an eight, such as 84805 for a vine ripe tomato.

PLU codes are created by an international body and can be searched online.

If the sticker also has the USDA organic seal, then you know it’s been certified by the government through the National Organic Program. To be certified, products must be inspected and meet the USDA regulations. Learn more about organic label.