Price Look Up Code

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. 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 usually a four-digit number, currently in the 3000-4999 range, identifying the type of bulk produce, including the variety. A fifth digit may be prefixed to the number to indicate if the produce is organic (prefixed by a '9') or genetically modified (prefixed by an '8'). The codes have been in use since 1990, and there are over 1300 universal PLU codes assigned as of 2008. 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.