is it organic? is it genetically modified?

Doing a little light nutritional reading yesterday I discovered a fascinating tidbit. Every wonder what those annoying produce stickers really mean? Aside from giving the code when you're checking out at the grocer's they also tell you how the produce was grown. You can identify conventional, organic, and genetically modified produce.

All codes start with 4-digits. For example, #4046 means avocado the world over. It is an internationally recognized code. If it is just those 4 numbers then you know it was conventionally grown (what conventional is might vary by country, of course). If this 4-digit number is preceded by a '9', such as #94046, then it is organic. If it is preceded by an '8', such as #84046 then it is genetically modified (GMO or GE).

I prefer to eat organic (not always possible on my budget) but now I can definitely steer clear of GMO crops. Also use the code to confirm that what the bin label says is actually what is in the bin.

thinking pesticides?

Trying to decide when to buy organic and when to pass along to the less expensive conventional produce? The Environmental Working Group compiled U.S. government data into these helpful lists: dirty dozen and clean 15. The testing procedure includes washing the lists are based on what is left.

Carrots were my gateway to organic produce ... I discovered they taste so much better than regular carrots that I decided it was well worth the price (and on the dirty list to boot!). I also buy a fair number of organic apples - I am in apple country so they're easy to get from local farmers. I also frequently buy organic onions which are the least dirty but are comparable priced to conventional onions at my local market. What do you always buy organic?