If you ever wondered what the stickers mean here you go:

If they have 4 digits only and they start with either a 3 or a 4 = conventional agriculture. Meaning pesticides were most likely used.

If they have 5 digits and start with a 9 = organic

If they have 5 digits and start with a 8 = GMO. They contain genetically modified organisms. I stay away from them and recommend you do the same until we truly know how their development can impact our health and the health of our planet. I have had endless animated debates on this matter with people listing the pros and cons.  I will write a piece on this later this year.

Note that while the stickers are not edible the glue that’s used is totally ok to ingest (though as usual I like to err on the side of caution and prefer to wash my veggies and fruits before eating them).

If you don’t see a sticker like the one on this apple but one with a full bar code then the first number on the left will tell you the same story: 3, 4, 8 or 9.

You can see the whole list of PLU codes (those 4 or 5 digits you can see on your fruits and veggies) here: innvista.com

Based on this list, what is this apple?