# Clearinghouse for the numbers on those little stickers on produce?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearinghouse-for-the-numbers-on-those-little-stickers-on-produce/715500>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 20, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearinghouse-for-the-numbers-on-those-little-stickers-on-produce/715500 "2015-03-20T16:19:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearinghouse-for-the-numbers-on-those-little-stickers-on-produce/715500/1 "2015-03-20T16:19:20Z")

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When I shop at Giant, bananas are always produce code 4011. I used to think the code was specific to this grocery store, but Chiquita puts a branding sticker on with that number on it. So I assume it’s the same for all stores. Similarly nearly all produce these days (in conventional supermarkets) has little stickers with the produce code number.

How does the industry avoid code collisions? Is there a central clearinghouse for issuing those codes?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearinghouse-for-the-numbers-on-those-little-stickers-on-produce/715500/2 "2015-03-20T16:23:51Z")

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Snopes on a [somewhat related myth.](http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/produce.asp)

> [@](#):
>
> Those little round stickers with numbers that shoppers often see on produce items such as apples, bananas, and oranges (as shown in the image displayed above) are Price Look-Up (PLU) numbering codes for fresh, unprocessed produce items. These codes are administered by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS), who maintain a list of five-digit codes (which are sometimes four digits, because leading zeroes are typically not displayed) that identify qualities associated with an particular item of produce, such as its type, its size, where it was grown, and how it was grown:

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**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearinghouse-for-the-numbers-on-those-little-stickers-on-produce/715500/3 "2015-03-20T16:27:55Z")

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It is an industry standard, and surprisingly specific. There are about 100 PLU codes just for different sizes and strains of apples.

Price Look-Up (PLU) codes are assigned to produce by the [International Federation for Produce Standards](http://www.ifpsglobal.com/). " IFPS is a coalition of fruit and vegetable associations from the around the globe that joined together in 2001 as equal partners to pursue the task of introducing a global standard for the use of international Price Look-Up (PLU) numbers."