What do fruit labels mean? What do stickers on fruits and vegetables mean Banana 4011 what does it mean.
Stickers on vegetables and fruits: what you did not know about
Evgenia BeresnevaJanuary 23, 2015
Stickers on vegetables and fruits: what you did not know about
Photo: moskva.fruitinfo.ru
A small sticker on a banana or tangerine can be a source of important information. And some people create entire collections of them. We will tell you some interesting facts.
Who doesn't know the sticker from the photo? For many of those who spent their childhood in the USSR, it was associated with a rare joy - oranges and tangerines, and sometimes bananas.
Children carefully and even with some trepidation tore off the sticker, sticking it on their desk, on the refrigerator (there were no magnets from travels then), on the tile in the kitchen or just on their foreheads.
Now stickers on fruits and vegetables no longer surprise anyone. Almost always they are on bananas, oranges, often come across on apples, pears, kiwi and other fruits, and sometimes on vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers.
What are they needed for
New.upakovano.ru
This is how the manufacturer labels his product. After all, when buying milk or pasta, you distinguish who produced this or that product, and choose based on this.
Bananas are not packed in boxes and bags, so the only way for the manufacturer to make himself known is with a small sticker. One banana manufacturer even sticks a small comic to each one in order to attract the attention of the consumer.
Next time you will choose bananas, apples or tomatoes of the brand that you once liked.
Some stickers also have a barcode or a QR code, which encodes information about the product, which can be read by a cashier in a supermarket, or you can learn more about the product yourself using a special mobile application for reading codes.
They are actually edible.
Of course, this does not mean that the sticker must be eaten. But manufacturers claim that all stickers are made from special edible paper. This, for example, is sometimes used in decorating cakes. Even the glue applied to the sticker is edible.
With banana and tangerine, you will remove the sticker along with the peel. But if you accidentally eat a piece of a sticker from an apple or don’t completely wash off the sticky trace from it, nothing bad will happen to you.
If you still want to remove the sticker without a trace, the fastest and most convenient way is to use a piece of tape that is slightly larger than the sticker. Glue it on top and remove it - it will take the sticker with it.
The numbers on the sticker can be deciphered
Some stickers contain a digital code. What does it mean?
Usually four numbers on the sticker indicate that the fruit or vegetable is grown in the traditional way.
If there are five digits, then you need to look at which digit comes first. If the number starts with the number 8, you have a product that was grown using genetic engineering technologies - the same GMO that causes so much controversy.
If the first number is 9, the fruit or vegetable is grown using the so-called organic technologies, as close as possible to natural conditions.
The rest of the code is usually the same. For example, on bananas you will see the number 4011 or 94011 if the product is listed as organic. On apples are the numbers 4130, and on kiwi - 4030.
Laser engraving instead of stickers
Fruit stickers may soon disappear forever, in the US and Europe they are gradually being replaced by laser engraving.
Such "tattoos" are performed using iron hydroxides and oxides, which, when applied, do not get under the skin of the fruit. The coding allows the product to be identified throughout the delivery.
While this method is used most often on pomegranates, melons, oranges, bananas.
I never looked closely at the stickers on fruits, but I read this information. Of course, I suspect that it is unlikely that every sticker will have such designations, but I will try to pay attention to it anyway.
But the Internet is full of articles about what appears on these stickers can be very important information. Here is one for example:
1. Four-digit code starting with 3 or 4
Such marking on fruits says that they were grown according to the "intensive" principle. That is, with the maximum use of agricultural technologies, including the abundant application of fertilizers and other pesticides.
2. Five-digit code starting with the number 9
This means that the product has been grown in the traditional way, as has been done for thousands of years. Now this method is called "organic", in other words without the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
3. If the product has a 5-digit code that starts with the number 8, this means that the product is genetically modified or commonly known as GMO.
It's not necessarily bad. Information about the potential dangers of day-modified foods is conflicting. Because GMO GMOs are different.
Here is an excerpt from an article by Mikhail Sobolev
From the first day in America, I have been tormented by one question: what do the small emblems with intricate inscriptions and drawings, pasted on vegetables and fruits in supermarkets, mean? For example, on mangoes there is often a strange inscription Alesia, on tangerines - an incomprehensible number # 3030, and on watermelons in general a sticker with a painted palm tree ...
Once I asked the owner of a grocery store about strange stickers. He's been in business for a quarter of a century, he probably knows. However, after staring at the Red Williams #4410 peach for five minutes, he nervously said, “Listen, don’t you have anything else to do? If it's glued, then so be it!
Having shoveled a lot of specialized literature and talked with a number of specialists, I still managed to get to the bottom of the truth. It turns out that each fruit (vegetable) sticker, which many do not pay attention to at all, contains important consumer information.
Today in the United States market there are about a thousand different emblems adorning fruits and vegetables. Most of them show the manufacturer's name first. For example, Del Monte or Dole are the largest sellers of fruits and vegetables (both fresh and canned) in North America. These brands have long since become trusted brands.
Since 1998, the Mexican firm La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) has been decorating its prickly pear variety with Gioconda stickers. “Our fruits have a lot in common with the immortal work of Leonardo Da Vinci,” Philippe Ilyas, vice president of the company, proudly declares. “The taste of La Gioconda fruits is as mysterious, refined and unpredictable as Mona Lisa’s smile.”
In addition to trademarks, emblems often depict the name of the product and its features. For example, a fruit with the rare name cherimoya in America is accompanied by a greenish inscription "Delicious Tropical Fruit. Rich in Vitamines". It is understandable - cherimoya grows in the highlands of Peru and Ecuador. Therefore, the exotic fruit does not contain any chemicals, fertilizers and genetically modified compounds.
Sometimes manufacturers emphasize the size of the fruit on the label (for example, small - small), its “internal” features (pink grapefruit - pink-fleshed grapefruit) and even taste (very sweet melon - very sweet watermelon).
Believe it or not, Californian Carl Sikora has been collecting and researching watermelon labels for eight long years. During this time, he managed to accumulate 270 different labels.
“I especially treasure the 1996 Billy's Prize watermelon sticker,” says Sikora. - There are 16 words on a tiny sticker measuring 1 by 1 cm. But in order to read them, you need either a magnifying glass or a unique visual acuity. Two years have passed since the oversight was noticed by the staff of Billy's Prize. None of the clients have been able to read it."
Let's move on to the most important thing - the numbers on fruit labels. By the way, the Costumer Report notes that only 3.2% of the inhabitants of the United States know their exact meaning. And this is despite the fact that fruits (vegetables) are included in the daily diet of 79% of Americans.
In fact, everything is simple. On a traditionally grown fruit, that is, using "harmless" fertilizers, chemicals, etc., 4 numbers are indicated (for example, 4011). Organic fruits have five digits, the first of which is nine (94011). The genetically modified fetus also has a five-digit number starting with an eight (84011). As of April this year, 7 out of 10 fruits on the shelves of American stores have a genetic origin.
Moreover, cases of deception of buyers were repeatedly recorded in American stores. In pursuit of profit, sellers changed labels on products. Genetics was presented as organic, and an unknown Mexican company was presented as a promoted Californian brand.
“In my opinion, there is a big deception hidden in encrypted stickers,” said Fred Iseger of the Organic Customers Association (OCA). - Manufacturers could change the ciphers into three simple words - conventionally (traditionally), organic (organic) and genetically (genetics). However, in this case, people would more often avoid genetically modified foods. Now, customers don't know and don't think about what they're eating."
Another very important point. Every year, fruit and vegetable companies receive thousands of complaints, often resulting in lawsuits. Consumers are dissatisfied with the presence of labels on fruits. As time shows, not all labels are easily torn off, therefore, traces of glue remain on the fruit.
“It took me 40 minutes to peel the labels off plums and apricots,” complains Jeanne Lemo, 76, of Texas, to the New York Times. - Many of them came off with the peel, as a result of which the fruit was deformed. Small stickers stuck to my clothes and hair. I won’t be surprised if soon producers start gluing labels on each individual grape or berry.”
Experts have long puzzled over a solution to the problem. Finally, in 2005, scientists from Oregon proposed their own way to deal with unfortunate paper labels. It turns out that fruits and vegetables can be "tattooed" with a special laser. The technology was first tested on Red D'Anjou pears. With a miniature soldering iron on the peel they brought out: Red D'Anjou #4417 USA. By the way, the skin of the pear remained airtight, therefore, closed to bacteria.
A patent for a safe and harmless laser marking technology was acquired by Durand-Wayland. The head of the corporation, Fred Derand, did not hide his joy, anticipating the opening prospects: “First, we will get rid of annoying paper labels that irritate customers. Secondly, we will be able to make larger images on vegetables and fruits. For example, barcodes for cashiers. Thirdly, the fruits will have attractive designs that will increase demand and increase sales. The day is not far off when it will be possible to sell advertising space on apple peels.
So far, laser inscriptions are used only in some American cities. However, it is possible that the peak of laser marking on vegetables and fruits will fall on this year. The impetus may come from new rules approved in mid-2006 that prohibit the sale of fruits and vegetables without a label. The inscription of the country of origin, the manufacturer and the digital code that we mentioned above must be indicated either on the package or on the fruit itself.
You, dear readers, can only be recommended to be more careful when buying vegetables and fruits. Put the appearance of the product into the background. The main thing is a small and inconspicuous label. He can tell a lot of interesting things. -
This is perhaps the most "dubious" sticker that many consumers fear. A PLU code with an "eight" at the beginning means that genetic engineering was used to grow a particular fruit. Simply put, this is a genetically modified (GMO) fruit. Most often "modify" bananas.
Expert comment
Before any genetically modified product enters the market to the consumer, it is subjected to numerous laboratory studies for safety for human health and nutritional value. At the same time, the GMO product is necessarily compared with the “ordinary” one, grown without changing the DNA.
Numerous scientific studies show no difference in nutritional value between genetically modified foods and those grown under normal conditions.
In more than 30 years of research, not a single case has been noted when it has been scientifically proven that a GMO product has harmed human health. There are only numerous conjectures and hypotheses associated with the possible risks that genetically modified foods carry. And these claims will still need to be tested in laboratory studies. Many scientists around the world do not stop work on the study of GMO products.
But in any case, despite the safety of GMO products for humans, goods must be labeled. So the buyer will see what kind of product he is buying. A person should have a choice - always eat "ordinary" fruits and vegetables or allow the possibility of including genetically modified fruits in the menu.
Bananas have not been perceived as exotic by Russian consumers for a long time. These sweet fruits can be found in every supermarket both in winter and in summer.
In January 2018, Roskontrol checked the quality of bananas bought in 5 large chain stores - Auchan, Karusel, Lenta, Pyaterochka, Perekrestok. The brand names are taken from the stickers on bananas, the laboratory did not have any other information about the producers. According to the results of the research, it was found that all fruits can be recommended for purchase. The best indicators in terms of organoleptic and appearance of bananas of the brand Imperial of Ashana. Other samples had minor skin defects. Residual amounts of fungicides were found in all bananas. These are antifungal drugs used by manufacturers when growing plants. The content of harmful chemicals is much less than the maximum allowable values. Each sample was tested for the amount of potassium in the product. This is the element due to which bananas are considered useful. Most potassium was found in fruits of the brand PRIME fruit from Pyaterochka and Global Village from Crossroads. Least potassium in bananas Imperial from Ashan. Fruits from Tropical line from Lenta in the middle place in terms of potassium content.
In the US, every year thousands of complaints are filed against companies that produce fruit and vegetable products on the local market. Buyers are dissatisfied with the fact that the stickers do not separate well from the peel, sometimes deforming the fruit. And these complaints often turn into serious lawsuits for manufacturers. It is likely that in the near future small stickers for labeling products in the US and Europe will be used less and less, because they will be replaced by laser engraving technology.
Fruit stickers are not the only way of labeling that is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Just remember the cheese that was produced back in Soviet times. Plastic numbers (black or blue) were pressed into the dense waxy crust of the cheese heads. They were collected, and adults speculated what the "mysterious" marking means. The most popular explanation, which many believed, is that the numbers in the cheese indicate the date it was made. But in fact, this is not a date, but a batch number. Cheese matures for a long time, and technologists needed to somehow label the products left for maturation, so that they could send the product to the market in time. Therefore, it was useless to "guess" the digital codes in cheese - this marking was understandable only to producers. And after the collapse of the Union, plastic numbers for labeling cheeses were no longer used. The outdated technology was gradually supplanted by the use of ink stamps.
Who doesn't know the sticker from the photo? For many of those whose childhood was spent in the USSR, it was associated with a rare joy - oranges and tangerines, and sometimes bananas.
Children carefully and even with some trepidation tore off the sticker, sticking it on their desk, on the refrigerator (there were no magnets from travels then), on the tile in the kitchen or just on their foreheads.
Now stickers on fruits and vegetables no longer surprise anyone. Almost always they are on bananas, oranges, often come across on apples, pears, kiwi and other fruits, and sometimes on vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers.
What are they needed for
New.upakovano.ru
This is how the manufacturer labels his product. After all, when buying milk or pasta, you distinguish who produced this or that product, and choose based on this.
Bananas are not packed in boxes and bags, so the only way for the manufacturer to make himself known is with a small sticker. One banana manufacturer even sticks a small comic to each one in order to attract the attention of the consumer.
Next time you will choose bananas, apples or tomatoes of the brand that you once liked.
Some stickers also have a barcode or a QR code, which encodes information about the product, which can be read by a cashier in a supermarket, or you can learn more about the product yourself using a special mobile application for reading codes.
They are actually edible.
Of course, this does not mean that the sticker must be eaten. But manufacturers claim that all stickers are made from special edible paper. This, for example, is sometimes used in decorating cakes. Even the glue applied to the sticker is edible.
With banana and tangerine, you will remove the sticker along with the peel. But if you accidentally eat a piece of a sticker from an apple or don’t completely wash off the sticky trace from it, nothing bad will happen to you.
If you still want to remove the sticker without a trace, the fastest and most convenient way is to use a piece of tape that is slightly larger than the sticker. Glue it on top and remove it - it will take the sticker with it.
The numbers on the sticker can be deciphered
Some stickers contain a digital code. What does it mean?
Usually four numbers on the sticker indicate that the fruit or vegetable is grown in the traditional way.
If there are five digits, then you need to look at which digit comes first. If the number starts with the number 8, you have a product that was grown using genetic engineering technologies - the same GMO that causes so much controversy.
If the first number is 9, the fruit or vegetable is grown using the so-called organic technologies, as close as possible to natural conditions.
The rest of the code is usually the same. For example, on bananas you will see the number 4011 or 94011 if the product is listed as organic. On apples are the numbers 4130, and on kiwi - 4030.
Laser engraving instead of stickers
Fruit stickers may soon disappear forever, in the US and Europe they are gradually being replaced by laser engraving.
Such "tattoos" are performed using iron hydroxides and oxides, which, when applied, do not get under the skin of the fruit. The coding allows the product to be identified throughout the delivery.
While this method is used most often on pomegranates, melons, oranges, bananas.
Have you ever seen fruits with stickers in stores? Are you wondering what information is encrypted in them? In addition to the bright logo on the sticker, there is a digital code.
It turns out that these figures contain important information for consumers. 
If the four-digit code starts with 3 or 4, which means that when growing fruits, the maximum number of agricultural technologies was used: they were abundantly watered with pesticides and fertilized with other chemicals.
If in front of you five-digit code with the first digit 9 consider yourself lucky. This means that fruits were grown in the traditional way, without the use of pesticides. You can consider such a product organic.
A five-digit code with the number 8 at the beginning is a sign that you have a GMO product in front of you.
According to studies, bananas, melons and papayas are most often genetically modified.
These designations have been used to label fruit worldwide since 1990. And it doesn't matter where the fruit was grown: in both Poland and the United States, a banana will have the code "4011" if it was grown under an accelerated scheme.
If the code is missing, should be concerned. Labeled products are safer - this means that they have been certified. If there are no stickers, there is a high probability that the fruits have been “cleaned” from them.
Sellers can change labels on products to pass off genetics as organic and sell at a higher price. Be careful when you buy such fruits!
Aug 17, 2018 Oksana
