Tip The 1-Second Organic Test Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip The 1-Second Organic Test There' s a simple way to tell if the fruits or vegetables you' re buying are chemical-free Here it is by TC Luoma August 30, 2016April 5, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips PLU Codes There's an incredibly simple way to tell if the apple you're fondling is organic. All it takes is holding it up and looking at its backside. That's where you'll likely find the Price Look-Up code, or PLU. The PLU is a randomly assigned 4 or 5-digit number that's affixed to many supermarket fruits and vegetables. The codes are assigned by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) to make grocery store checkout and inventory a lot easier. If you know how to read these codes, you can immediately tell if a product was grown according to organic standards. The Magic Number is 9 Let's take the Fuji apple, for instance. Its PLU code is 4131. That means it was grown conventionally, using the approved methods and chemicals of non-organic farmers. However, if you see a "9" before the 4-digit number (94131), that means the Fuji apple was grown according to organic standards. The same is true of all of the roughly 1,450 fresh produce items in the IFPS database. Ordinary passion fruit? PLU code 3038. Organic passion fruit? PLU code 93038. Ordinary kumquat? 4303. Organic? 94303. How About a Code For GMO Foods The original plan was to have an "8" proceed all GMO produce, but it was discontinued because, according to the IFPS, they need more digits to assign for incoming code requests. Yeah, I'm not sure what that means either. An Additional Use for PLU Codes If you bought a particular variety of avocado that caused your girlfriend to shimmer on the floor in ecstasy and, despite her increasingly urgent pleas, you can't remember the exact variety, just use the free IFPS database. Punch in the PLU code and it'll tell you exactly what you bought. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Are Protein Shakes Really Bad For You The lay press says to lay off protein shakes. Here's the truth. Diet & Fat Loss, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements TC Luoma June 22 Eating Tip The Best Low-Carb Pumpkin Pie Recipe Ever No added sugar, no flour, no guilt. Bonus: It's packed with muscle-building protein. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Chris Shugart December 11 Eating Tip The Jiggle Test Here's how to know whether or not you could benefit from a cheat meal or refeed during your fat-loss diet. Diet Strategy, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Paul Carter May 22 Supplements Single-Digit Bodyfat Smash the Plateau It's easy to go from fat to lean-ish, but fat loss can easily stall when your goal is to get truly shredded. Here are three things you need to know. Diet Strategy, Fat Loss Training, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements Akash Vaghela March 28