Price Look-Up code
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Price Look-Up codes, commonly called PLU codes, PLU numbers, PLUs, produce codes or produce labels, are identification numbers affixed to produce and other products in grocery stores and supermarkets to make check-out and inventory control easier, faster, and more accurate. The code is a four or five-digit number, currently in the 3000–4999 range,[1] identifying the type of bulk produce, usually including the variety. Organic produce, grown to the standards of the National Organic Standards Board and the principles of organic farming, is denoted by a five-digit number whose first digit is 9 (e.g. 94011 for organic yellow bananas); an 8 prefix indicates genetically modified food.
The codes have been in use since 1990, and there are over 1300 universal PLU codes assigned as of 2008.[1] Use of PLU codes eliminates the need for grocery store checkers to identify each variety of produce visually. This advantage is especially important with the growth of the organic produce market; organic and conventional oranges, for example, may look the same but have very different prices.
The system is administered by the International Federation for Produce Standards, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association.[2]
Price look-up codes are generally printed on small stickers or tags, and are considered inconvenient by some. Various new technologies are under consideration, including etching using lasers and printing or "tattooing" using ink made from substances such as blueberry juice.[3]
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[edit] Uses
These codes are used primarily in retail grocery stores or supermarkets, where they are keyed into a point of sale system by a cashier, or by the customer at a self checkout machine, while the produce is being weighed on a scale. Organic produce is most commonly identified by a 9 preceding the standard code. For example, if conventional bananas use 4011, then organic bananas would be 94011. PLUs can also be defined by the individual retailer, or location, and used in place of barcodes for a variety of reasons.
[edit] List of Common PLUs
| Food | Code |
|---|---|
| Bananas | 4011/4237 |
| Red Bananas | 4236 |
| Red grapes | 4023/4635 |
| Green Grapes | 4022 |
| Green Seedless Grapes | 4499 |
| Scarlet Seedless Grapes | 4498 |
| Golden Delicious Apples | 4020/4021 |
| Bartlett Pears | 4113 |
| Broccoli Crowns | 3082 |
| Broccoli Bunch | 4060 |
| Regular Tomatos | 3151 |
| Vine Ripe Tomatos | 4664 |
| Russet Potatoes | 4072 |
| Yukon Potatoes | 4727 |
| Garlic | 4608 |
| Red Onion | 4082 |
| Green Onion (Scallion) | 4068 |
| Vidalia Onion | 4159 |
| Bok Choy | 4545 |
| Lemon | 4958 |
| Lime | 4048 |
| Sweet Potato | 4091 |
| Cucumber | 4062 |
| Granny Smith Apple | 4017 |
| Yellow Onion | 4166 |
| White Onion | 4663 |
| Green Leaf Lettuce | 4076 |
| Broccoli Crowns | 4549 |
| Avocado | 4225 |
| Asparagus | 4080 |
| Plum | 4040 |
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[edit] See also
- Universal Product Code, another system for identification of consumer products
- Stock-keeping unit (SKU) codes, another system
- Packaging and labeling
[edit] References
- ^ a b "IFPS FAQ". Produce Marketing Association. http://www.plucodes.com/faqs.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ IFPS website. Accessed July 17, 2008
- ^ "Tired of Prying Off Stickers? Tattooed Fruit Is on the Way" The New York Times, July 19, 2005
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[edit] External links
- Alphabetical listing of common PLU Codes
- Numerical listing of common PLU Codes
- The International Federation for Produce Coding (IFPC)
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