Price Look-Up codes, commonly called PLU codes, PLU numbers or PLUs, 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, identifying the type of bulk produce, usually including the variety.
Organic produce 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. Currently, there are over 1300 universal PLU codes assigned.
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 administerociaed by the International Federation for Produce Standards, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Asstion.
Price look-up codes are generally printed on small stickers or tags.
http://www.fruitsticker.com/
you can check out the type of your fruit by entering the code! go try it! interesting.