clipped from www.naturalnews.com Sticky PLU Labels on Fruit Provide Useful Health Information (NaturalNews) Who would have imagined that those irritating little labels stuck on fruit would provide helpful information? Their purpose isn't, of course, to help the public. Nonetheless, the codes identify whether fruit is full of pesticides and grown with petroleum-based fertilizers or organic, and even when it's genetically modified. The Labeling System The codes are applied not only to fruit, but also to vegetables, herbs, and nuts, though labels are normally stuck only on fruit. They consist of four or five numbers. The system is quite simple. Fruit is divided into three classes: conventional, organic, and genetically modified. All four-digit coded fruit is conventionally raised. So, if you don't see five digits, then it's safe to assume that the fruit is contaminated with pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers, and is grown in depleted soils.