how to read produce stickers

i'm editing this as of july 28, 2008, after receiving the comment below.

anonymous is right! the 5-digit code starting with 9 signifies the item is organic. i am decorating my computer with produce stickers, and yup, organic is 9. i guess then that if it starts with 8 it's GMO. go for the 9s!

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I got a newsletter from Serious Eats with an item of interest. You know the little stickers on produce? They have numbers on them that mean something.

4 digits means it's conventionally grown.

5 digits starting with 8 means it's organic.

5 digits starting with 9 means it's genetically-modified (GMO).

This is handy to know especially because I want to avoid GMO produce, and it isn't labeled in stores.

I don't think GMO is a great idea because we don't know long-term effects like cross-pollination or nutritional changes. There could be some benefit, sure, like drought or insect resistance, but I want more information before deciding this is a good thing.