When you buy your fruits and veggies at supermarket in the USA, they always have this little sticker with numbers on it. Do you know what it means?

Produce from organic farms

Produce that comes from organic farms, have a sticker with five numbers, and always starts with number 9.

Organic vs non-organicOrganic vs non-organic

Produce from non-organic farms

Produce that been treated with pesticides, have stickers with four number, and always starts with number 4.

(Sorry, I don’t have non-organic fruits at home to snap a picture of it)

More information on organic vs. non-organic

  • Organic foods are foods produced using methods which do not involve synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic products are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. Click here to read more.
  • In the United States, the National Organic Program (NOP) is the federal regulatory framework governing organic food. You should visit their website to learn more http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop.
  • Wikipedia offers also a list of countries with regulations on organic agriculture. It contains links to documents with the status of formal government-standards, regulations, and certification of organic farming and organic food.

Next time you go to supermarket, pay attention to it and you will see.

Have a great fruit and veggie shopping!

Love, Val

 

First published on October 31st  2012, updated in 2019