# The Why of Fruit Labels **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163 "2013-12-12T16:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/1 "2013-12-12T16:02:50Z")
Why. Why must all fruit in stores have a nasty stickum label on it now? I loathe them with every cell in my body. Picking pieces of plastic film out of my salad or cereal or teeth is not a gustatory enhancement. If I remember and have time, I peel them all off when I unpack fruit from the store, but if you peel them off even half-ripe pears you tear the skin, which starts a spoilage spot. The why is a mystery to me. The only possible use is for a checkout clerk who can’t tell Boscs from D’Anjous or Black Twigs from Winter Bananas. The tiny print can’t be aimed at the consumer except by marketing morons. It is one of the reasons I shop at farmers markets and roadside farm stands; they have no label machines. Anybody have an answer? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/2 "2013-12-12T16:10:52Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The why is a mystery to me. The only possible use is for a checkout clerk who can’t tell Boscs from D’Anjous or Black Twigs from Winter Bananas. I suspect that’s why. That and “brand identity”, which of course is pursued with messianic fervour by those in marketing. Presumably that is why, say, Dole bananas have a sticker proclaiming their provenance even when they are the only bananas on offer. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/3 "2013-12-12T16:16:20Z")
Brand identity: differentiating my eastern Washington orchard of Bosc clones from your eastern Washington orchard of Bosc clones. Marvelous. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/4 "2013-12-12T16:21:14Z")
I remember them starting on bananas by Chiquita, who was in the midst of a gigantic branding campaign. The stickers had the country of origin on them and it was fun to look at the bananas and see all the places they came from. They’ve ridden that forever and [Chiquita country stickers](https://www.google.com/search?q=chiquita+banana+country+stickers&num=100&newwindow=1&client=firefox-a&hs=6BV&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GuGpUuvyBIbXkQess4HwDg&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1062&bih=1758#imgdii=_) are now an iconic part of their marketing. What works for one company will be copied by others. But what really sells it is that the stickers now contain the four digit code for the exact type of fruit that can be typed in to get an exact price from the computer. That’s the tiny print that is supremely important. If you shave off even a few seconds from every customer you move more people through and shortern the wait in lines and need to pay fewer clerks. That’s big money. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/5 "2013-12-12T16:27:22Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > What works for one company will be copied by others. But what really sells it is that the stickers now contain the four digit code for **the exact type of fruit that can be typed in to get an exact price** from the computer. That’s the tiny print that is supremely important. If you shave off even a few seconds from every customer you move more people through and shortern the wait in lines and need to pay fewer clerks. That’s big money. There’s also the price difference between very similar looking fruit. Look at a Winesap compared to a McIntosh. Or a Pippin/Granny Smith pairing. I remember when the clerk had to check a pictorial chart to identify the produce. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/6 "2013-12-12T16:40:12Z")
And with self-checkout, I don’t mind having the plu right at my fingertips. Saves navigating loads of screens. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/7 "2013-12-12T16:51:08Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > And with self-checkout, I don’t mind having the plu right at my fingertips. Saves navigating loads of screens. Yeah that, and let’s face it, cashiers used to be career jobs for mostly middle aged women. Now you usually see teenaged girls who wouldn’t know a mango from a pomegranate even with pictures. I’m not sure I would either. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/8 "2013-12-12T16:54:51Z")
Pippins and Grannysmiths do not look anything alike except that they are both picked green. I think I’ll just crawl under the table and gnaw my old bones and growl to myself. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/9 "2013-12-12T16:57:25Z")
An obvious answer might be to simply print on them with edible ink. Actually, there is another approach - “tattoo” the fruit with low energy lasers: [http://inhabitat.com/low-energy-laser-etching-could-replace-annoying-fruit-labels/](http://inhabitat.com/low-energy-laser-etching-could-replace-annoying-fruit-labels/) ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/10 "2013-12-12T16:59:54Z")
Organic fruits and veggies may look exactly the same but cost twice the price. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/11 "2013-12-12T17:02:32Z")
[I asked this question 10 years ago!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=163792)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/12 "2013-12-12T17:06:53Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > . But what really sells it is that the stickers now contain the four digit code for the exact type of fruit that can be typed in to get an exact price from the computer. That’s the tiny print that is supremely important. If you shave off even a few seconds from every customer you move more people through and shortern the wait in lines and need to pay fewer clerks. That’s big money. This is it. Can I add to the complaints, finding the indestructible plastic stickers in your compost? Grr… Sure would be nice if the industry moved to biodegradable paper stickers. I mean, if the paper has been in bad conditions long enough to rot, maybe the fruit isn’t in shape to sell, either? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/13 "2013-12-12T17:07:28Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > And with self-checkout, I don’t mind having the plu right at my fingertips. Saves navigating loads of screens. This is a legitimate observation. Whether human beings can be expected to recognize the differences between fruit varieties or not, the automated checkout machine needs a number, and it is much more convenient for the customer if it’s a barcode on the item rather than a manual lookup. And automated checkouts save the supermarket chain having to have a checker at all (or will, once people get used to the system, and all the kinks get worked out so an employee doesn’t have to monitor the things, or at least not as actively). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/14 "2013-12-12T17:17:23Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Organic fruits and veggies may look exactly the same but cost twice the price. Exactly. Some stores I go to have the exact same produce in “organic” and non-organic-labeled varieties. Also, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had celery root, rutabaga, and turnips confused for each other. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/15 "2013-12-12T17:25:22Z")
I griped about this too awhile back but was informed that I was holding up the progress train. I don’t see much in the way of organic apples that are the exact same variety as non-organic apples, nor are different types of apples priced differently at the supermarket in common experience. So the necessity for such labeling is not quite so obvious. It does aid tracking of consumer preference, and as we all know such tracking is vitally important to supermarkets which have loyalty cards for this purpose, so that they can raise prices while giving a “discount” or “bonus” to card holders. We might also ask why it is that organic produce is so much more expensive than the narsty chemical kind and what actual benefits it offers, but that’s another thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/16 "2013-12-12T17:53:30Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > This is it. > > Can I add to the complaints, finding the indestructible plastic stickers in your compost? Grr… > Sure would be nice if the industry moved to biodegradable paper stickers. I mean, if the paper has been in bad conditions long enough to rot, maybe the fruit isn’t in shape to sell, either? Some fruit like apples can be held for up to a year in carefully climate controlled conditions. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/17 "2013-12-12T18:09:45Z")
A quick look and I found this [Tattooed fruit? New technology set to replace sticky labels on fruit with laser brandings | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2346240/Tattooed-fruit-New-technology-set-replace-sticky-labels-fruit-laser-brandings.html) > [@](#): > > Fruit in Europe may no longer come with sticky labels, now that the European Union has approved the use of iron oxides and hydroxides, hydroxypropyl, methyl cellulose and polysorbates on the skins of fruit. > > Using these chemicals creates contrast to allow the laser markings to stand out more clearly, and prevent the laser from penetrating the skin of the fruit. > A Spanish company developed the laser system, which can brand up to 54,000 pieces of fruit in an hour. I also found a great explanation of PLU codes: Ignore the obvious organic bias of the writer. > [@](#): > > The Labeling System > > The codes are applied not only to fruit, but also to vegetables, herbs, and nuts, though labels are normally stuck only on fruit. They consist of four or five numbers. The system is quite simple. Fruit is divided into three classes: conventional, organic, and genetically modified. > > All four-digit coded fruit is conventionally raised. So, if you don’t see five digits, then it’s safe to assume that the fruit is contaminated with pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers, and is grown in depleted soils. > > Five digit codes are simply the four digits with a single number added to the front: 8 or 9. > > If the first of five numbers is 9, then it has been grown to the standards defined by the National Organic Standards Board. This is obviously preferable to conventionally-grown fruit. > > If the first of five numbers is 8, the fruit is genetically modified. It means that it has been grown conventionally with poisons in depleted soil, from frankenseeds. > > For example, let’s take a simple Valencia orange. Its code is 4014. 84014 is the code of a small genetically modified Valencia orange. 94014 is the code of a small organic Valencia orange. > > - 4 digits: The fruit likely comes with a burden of poisons and was grown in depleted soil. > > - 5 digits, first is 8: This fruit is genetically modified, a GMO. It contains genes that were not put there by nature. > > - 5 digits, first is 9: This fruit has been grown to an organic standard. Although the standard is not as strict as some produced by the most serious organic farmers, it is certainly superior to conventionally-grown or GMO fruit. > > Learn more: [http://www.naturalnews.com/023711.html##ixzz2nHkaQ8gt](http://www.naturalnews.com/023711.html##ixzz2nHkaQ8gt) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/18 "2013-12-12T18:12:42Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I griped about this too awhile back but was informed that I was holding up the progress train. > > I don’t see much in the way of organic apples that are the exact same variety as non-organic apples, nor are different types of apples priced differently at the supermarket in common experience. You have a very different supermarket experience than I do. And the rest of the country. > [@](#): > > So the necessity for such labeling is not quite so obvious. It does aid tracking of consumer preference, and as we all know such tracking is vitally important to supermarkets which have loyalty cards for this purpose, so that they can raise prices while giving a “discount” or “bonus” to card holders. OTOH, I _don’t_ normally see bonus card sales on produce. Stores probably are tracking your fruit purchases but that is about 90th on the list of reasons. > [@](#): > > We might also ask why it is that organic produce is so much more expensive than the narsty chemical kind and what actual benefits it offers, but that’s another thread. 🙂 Look up economy of scale. You don’t even need to get into any other argument. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/19 "2013-12-12T18:17:56Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The only possible use is for a checkout clerk who can’t tell Boscs from D’Anjous or Black Twigs from Winter Bananas. > [@Ulfreida](#): > > Pippins and Grannysmiths do not look anything alike except that they are both picked green. I daresay that neither the checkout clerk nor you can reliably and consistently tell a Fuji from a Honeycrisp from a Gala from a Braeburn apple. With the great variety of similar looking produce and the great variety of unusual (not often encountered by most people) produce available in most grocery stores, it’s simply not realistic to expect a cashier to be able to identify everything. Putting the numerical stickers on the items solves a lot more problems than it causes. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163/20 "2013-12-12T19:07:47Z")
…Snip… > [@](#): > > **If you shave off even a few seconds from every customer you move more people through and shorten the wait in lines** and need to pay fewer clerks. That’s big money. And please, can I visit the planet you live on? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-why-of-fruit-labels/676163.md?page=2)