Know the Numbers

Cathy Ruff, my friend and former neighbor in New Jersey, sent me this helpful tip. She came across it in the Newsletter of the Garden Club of New Jersey, and for those who don’t know, New Jersey is known as The Garden State.

To determine if your produce was genetically modified, look at the numbers on the tags of the produce you buy. My carton of fresh raspberries has a sticker that reads 5137 and underneath 3969 DSA1. Therefore, I am assuming the berries were conventionally grown on a bush, but not on an organic farm.

• A four-digit number means the produce is conventionally grown.
• A five digit number beginning with 9 means organic
• A five digit number beginning with 8 means it is genetically modified (GM).

Now you know the clue to reading produce labels.

Thanks Cathy.