46. PLUs

Do you remember, in the early days of Covid, when you had to keep a distance of two metres from the person in front of you in a queue? Exactly five years ago to the day, blog post 21. Antisocial distancing was published on 12 December (freefromlockdown.com). It came about after seeing a UFO (actually a PLU) in the hair of the customer 2m in front. What is a PLU?

Have you taken a good bite out of an apple only to find yourself chewing a piece of plastic? Welcome to the world of the PLUs. In the trade these are known as ‘price look-up’ labels. They feature a four or five digit code that helps cashiers identify each item and its price. The stickers are helpful for you, the consumer, as they can tell you the type of produce (in case you didn’t know!) but also the variety and the growing method (organic starts with a 9, or conventional starts with 4). All clear so far?

This is the humble rhubarb. The PLU code for rhubarb is not a standard code, as it is rarely sold in bulk . It is usually found with a 4-digit code like 4141, if it is conventional, or 84141 if it is organic, according to my source. Hang on though, what has happened to organic starting with a 9? An expert on codes explained that 8 was originally added to show that the item was genetically modified. But, there are not many GMO fruits and vegetables, and their method of production does not affect their price, so there was no need for a specific label. That clears that one up.

You, the consumer, are more concerned about your health and protecting the environment than previous generations. Currently, the vast majority of stickers are made with a thin layer of plastic, which means they can better withstand transit and packaging. However, vinyl and other thin plastic films are not compostable or biodegradable, and you should remove the sticker before composting. The newly acquired residents of our Bunnings worm farm cannot digest them so they come out as they went it.

The year Madame and I left France that country became the first to enact laws banning all plastic packaging on fruits and vegetables. Soft plastics, such as you find in supermarkets, are a big problem on their own. Does your local supermarket have a recycling point? Probably not. Most end up being incinerated, the minority recycled into lower value products such as bin bags or carrier bags.

One suspects that there is a huge gap between what we as consumers are told about recycling and the reality. There are limited ways in which soft plastics can be re-used. Anyway, we digress. Have you heard of the IFPS? Probably not. It’s the………

The PLU codes have been in use for 35 years and over 1,400 have been assigned. The codes are administered by the IFPS which is responsible for deciding which codes are assigned to which foods. In the unlikely event of your wanting to look at the codes for all commodities you can download them from their website.

So, next time you accidentally swallow a sticker don’t panic! Medical experts say it will go through your body normally, just like chewing gum. While you wouldn’t want to make a habit of eating them regularly, they’re not going to make you sick (Sticker Shop.UK). Had to check out this fact, but it seems most chewing gum on sale Down Under is made from a variety of oil-based synthetic rubbers – similar to the material used in car tyres! Repeat, don’t make a habit of eating either just because you can!

Readers from 50 countries, from Albania to Vietnam, have logged into this blog over the past 5 years.

Read more posts at freefromlockdown.com or Down Under Diary.