PLU code (produce sticker number)
A PLU code is the 4- or 5-digit number on a sticker on loose fruit and vegetables. It tells the cashier what the item is, so it is charged the right price. Four digits is conventionally grown; a 9 in front of those four digits is organic.
How to read it
PLU stands for Price Look Up. Supermarkets have used the codes since 1990, and the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) assigns them; there are over 1,500. IFPS says the codes are assigned at random within the 3000 and 4000 series and that no digit in a 4-digit code means anything in particular: it identifies the item, which can include its variety and size. A standard yellow banana is 4011 and an organic one is 94011, Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety explains, though it says the organic label, not the sticker, is the way to check an item is certified organic. The system is voluntary and not mandated by any governing body.
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These pages say what each code and its parts mean under the standard that defines it. A barcode identifies an item; it doesn’t say where the item was made or whether it is genuine, and the label and the maker are the place to look for that.
Does a PLU code starting with 8 mean genetically modified?
No. Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety says the 8 prefix was once reserved for GM produce but wasn’t used in shops. AAP FactCheck reported that the GM designation was abandoned in 2015, and an IFPS spokesperson told it that five-digit codes beginning with 8 are still not in use. IFPS will use them when the 3000 and 4000 series run out: the 83000 series for conventionally grown items and the 84000 series for organic ones.
The barcode on the sticker
Some stickers also carry a small stacked barcode, a GS1 DataBar, with a 14-digit product number that a till can scan in place of keying the PLU.
Read next
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- The same shape in AI labels and iconsAI iconAI-generated or AI-changed content. A badge with the letters AI, often in a circle or beside a word such as generated or modified, labels an image, video, sound or text as made or altered with artificial intelligence. The European Union publishes an official set of these icons.
More barcodes and QR codes
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or letters and numbers.
Sources
- PLU Codes, What is a PLU Code?, International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS), What is a PLU Code?
- Can we identify genetically modified foods in the market from their appearances or PLU codes?, Food Safety Focus / GM food newsletter, issue 31, Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong SAR Government, Can we tell the GM status of our foods from PLU codes?
- GMO labelling claims are past their use-by date, AAP FactCheck, Australian Associated Press, Verdict and explanation
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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