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Talking Fruit: How To Tell If Fruit Is Genetically Modified

 

Talking Fruit

How to de-code the information on those little stickers

While unpacking groceries, you pull out the bag of apples and decide to eat one then and there. You take it over to the sink, wash it off and -- with some effort -- peel off the little sticker. Pausing to look more closely at the sticker you wonder, "What do those numbers mean?"
As much as we may dislike them, the stickers or labels attached to fruit do more than speed up the scanning process at the checkout stand. The PLU code, or price lookup number printed on the sticker, tells you how the fruit was grown.

As reported by Maria Gallagher, in the June 26, 2002 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer, by reading the PLU code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.

Here's how it works:

For conventionally grown fruit, (grown with chemicals inputs), the PLU code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. For example,

A conventionally grown banana would be:

4011

An organic banana would be:

94011

A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be:

84011

The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association, a Newark, Delaware-based trade group for the produce industry. As of October 2001, the board had assigned more than 1,200 PLUs for individual produce items.

Incidentally, the adhesive used to attach the stickers is considered food-grade, but the stickers themselves aren't edible.

Do you REALLY know what's in your dinner?

Today, 7 out of every 10 items on grocery stores shelves contain ingredients that have been genetically modified. In other words, scientists are using new technology to transfer the genes of one species to another, and these altered foods are in the market stream. And yet many scientists have concerns about the safety -- to people, wildlife and the environment -- of this process. That's why consumers in Asia and Europe are demanding that their food be free of genetically modified ingredients.

To learn more about food safety, GM (genetically modified) foods and what's wrong with them, and what you can do bring about changes:

• Organic Consumers Association Campaigning for food safety, organic agriculture, fair trade and sustainability

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Now that you're a better informed consumer, you can make conscious choices about the foods you buy and eat. Next time you go to the store, vote with your dollars!

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The Best House Plants to Clean Indoor Air & Provide Oxygen

 

The Best House Plants to Clean Indoor Air & Provide Oxygen

 

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1. • Plants such as the Bamboo Palm help clean indoor air. 

     House plants do more than just make your room look warm and inviting. They can actually make your home feel different, as they can help clean the air from contaminants such as formaldehyde, xylene, benzene and carbon monoxide that fill many homes. While house plants clean air, they also provide oxygen, with many requiring little care. According to the University of Connecticut, scientists at NASA designed experiments to examine the effects on which houseplants will help clean indoor air.

   Bamboo Palm

   • The Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) helps remove trichloroethylene from the air. To grow the Bamboo Palm as a house plant, a room with ample sunlight is needed. Bamboo Palms need six hours of sunlight per day to remain healthy, and are temperamental about watering. If the leaves are turning yellow, it may indicate that you are over-watering. Mist Bamboo Palms daily, as they love high humidity. Fertilize with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

   English Ivy

   • English Ivy (Heeder helix), which helps remove benzene from the air, is a climbing house plant which can grow on a trellis or topiary. English Ivy is an easy house plant to grow, and grows well in a room where the temperatures are 50 degrees F at night and around 70 degrees F during the day. Fertilize the English Ivy every month while it is actively growing, but do not fertilize in the heat of summer or during its winter rest period. The English Ivy has hundreds of cultivars, with leaves varying from less than 1 inch to over 3 inches in length.

   Heart Leaf Philodendron

   • The Heart Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron scan dens 'oxycardium'), which helps remove formaldehyde from the air, is a low-maintenance house plant which is able to live in low light and neglect. It has heart-shaped leaves that range from 2 to 4 inches in length. Some leaves are glossy green while other leaves feel like textured velvet. Grow the Heart Leaf Philodendron in rooms that are around 70 to 75 degrees F.

   Spider Plant

   • The Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Como sum) is a simple houseplant to grow, and helps remove xylene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from the air. Most Spider Plants grow in hanging baskets with their spiders hanging over the sides of the pot. The leaves look like long blades of grass, although some varieties have striped leaves of yellow or white. Small white flowers and miniature plant-lets, or spiders, appear on long wiry stems. If you put the plant-lets into a small pot of soil, they will develop roots. The Spider Plant grows well in temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees F during the day and 10 degrees lower at night. Place the pot where the plants receive bright indirect sunlight. If you keep the soil too wet or too dry, Spider Plants are more susceptible to spider mites, scales, aphids and white flies.

   Mother-in-Law's Tongue

   • Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurent'), or "Snake Plant," helps remove formaldehyde from the air. Mother-in-Law's Tongue, which is a member of the century plant family, is almost indestructible and will grow in the most adverse conditions. Its leaves are fleshy and sword-like, with either gray cross bands or yellow bands on the leaves. Depending on the variety chosen, the leaves can grow from 6 inches to 4 feet in length. It prefers to be pot bound and needs little to no fertilizing.