Stickers on fruit and vegetables
What the numbers on fruit stickers mean: 4011, 94011 and other PLU codes
The number on the sticker tells the till what is being weighed. Type it below to see what it means in the official IFPS list. A leading 8 does not mean “genetically modified”: that meaning was reserved, never reached the shops and was dropped in 2015, yet Romanian news sites repeated it as late as January 2025.
Try:
Conventionally grown
Yellow bananas
including Cavendish, any size
4011 is the IFPS number for yellow bananas, including Cavendish, any size. Four digits: the item is not declared organic.
The same item, organic, would carry 94011.
What the code does not tell you
- Which pesticides were usedFour digits only mean the item is not declared organic. Nor does a 9 mean “pesticide-free”: organic farming has its own list of permitted substances. Residues are measured in a laboratory.
- Whether it is genetically modifiedThe IFPS system has no prefix or code for genetically modified produce. In the EU, a genetically modified food has to say so in its labelling (for loose produce, on or right beside the display); only accidental traces of up to 0.9% are exempt.
- Whether it is certified organicA 9 is a declaration by whoever applied the sticker. Certification shows in the labelling, on the item or at the shelf: the control body’s code (for example RO-ECO-008, or a foreign body’s code on imported produce) and, usually, the EU organic logo.
- Which country it comes fromIFPS codes are the same in every country that uses them (those left to retailers can differ between chains), so they do not show the country of origin. That is written separately, on the sticker or at the shelf.
What do the numbers on fruit mean?#
The small sticker on a banana or an apple carries a PLU code (short for price look-up). The cashier types it in, or you do at a self-checkout, so the till knows what is on the scale without anyone recognising it by sight. The codes are issued by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS), an association of fruit and vegetable trade bodies from several countries. The system is voluntary: no law obliges a grower to use it.
The basic code has four digits, between 3000 and 4999, assigned at random within that range. Taken alone, no digit means anything. A code tells apart the commodity (quince has a single one), the variety (Gala from Golden) and sometimes the size. For some apple varieties, Gala, Golden and Fuji among them, IFPS splits at an average of 205 grams per fruit in a box: Gala apples from a box averaging less are 4133, larger ones 4135. The threshold is not a minimum weight for each fruit.
The IFPS list downloaded on 16 October 2026 has 1,546 numbers, from 3000 to 4961. Of these, 420 are left to retailers, who use them as they like, for example for a local item with no code of its own: 111 for any item, the rest for specified commodities or product groups (for instance 4193–4217 for new apple varieties).
What do 4011 and 94011 on bananas mean?#
4011 is the code for yellow bananas, including the Cavendish variety, of any size. Small yellow bananas are 4186, baby bananas 4234 and cooking bananas (plantains) 4235.
94011 is the same banana, grown organically. The IFPS rule is a single one: a 9 placed in front of the four-digit code marks the item as organic. The five-digit codes with a 9 do not even appear separately in the IFPS database, because they are derived from the four-digit ones.
What does a leading 8 on fruit mean?#
For now, nothing. No IFPS code starts with 8 today. The prefix was once reserved for genetically modified produce, but, in the IFPS’s own words, it was never used at retail. In July 2015 the federation announced it was dropping that meaning and keeping the series for new codes, because demand for numbers for conventional produce had grown.
When it comes into use, the series will work like this: 83000–83999 for conventional items, 84000–84999 for their organic counterparts. A code starting with 84 will therefore mean organic, the opposite of what the myth says. IFPS adds that, unlike the 9, the 8 will carry no meaning.
Romanian news sites kept repeating the old version after the July 2015 announcement. The articles below present it as fact; the date is the date of publication.
| Date | Outlet | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| 3 October 2015 | Știripesurse | four digits mean a fruit grown with pesticides; five digits starting with 8, a genetically modified fruit |
| 2 November 2015 | Realitatea.net | headline: why you should never buy fruit and vegetables with an 8 on the label |
| 26 September 2018 | Alba24 | codes starting with 8 show genetically modified produce; a GM apple would carry 84015 |
| 25 August 2023 | Evenimentul Zilei | avoid codes starting with 8 if you want to exclude genetically modified produce |
| 25 August 2023 | Fanatik | codes starting with 8 are to be avoided, being genetically modified produce |
| 13 September 2023 | România TV | five digits starting with 8: a genetically modified product |
| 10 May 2024 | Realitatea.net | five digits, usually starting with 8: generally genetically modified produce |
| 16 January 2025 | Realitatea.net | the same text, republished |
Their examples do not hold either. Alba24 wrote that a genetically modified apple would carry the code 84015: no such code exists, and 4015 is the code for small Red Delicious apples. EVZ named bananas, cantaloupe and papaya among the most common genetically modified fruits. The EU register of genetically modified organisms authorised for food and feed contains no banana, papaya, melon or any other fruit: the authorisations cover varieties of maize, soybean, oilseed rape, cotton and sugar beet.
How do you recognise organic fruit by its code?#
A five-digit code starting with 9 shows that the item was declared organic by whoever applied the sticker. IFPS itself says that, to be sure an item is certified, you should look for the official seal (in the United States, the USDA one).
In the European Union, an item sold as organic, “bio” or “eco” must carry in its labelling the code of the control body that checked it. Control bodies approved in Romania have codes reading RO-ECO- followed by the body’s number (for example RO-ECO-008); imported produce may carry the code of a body in another country. The EU organic logo, a leaf drawn in stars, is compulsory on prepacked organic food produced in the EU and may also be used on loose produce.
Nor does organic mean “pesticide-free”. Organic farming in the EU may use the substances on an approved list, among them copper compounds, sulphur, spinosad and pyrethrins. The sticker does not say which were used.
Does a four-digit code show that the fruit has pesticides?#
No. Four digits only mean the item is not declared organic. They do not say which substances were used, what residues are left on the fruit or whether these are below the legal limits. Residues are measured in a laboratory; they do not appear on the sticker.
The only information about treatment a code can carry appears on four citrus codes. IFPS has separate codes for fruit “without postharvest treatment”: 3362 for lemons, 3374 for oranges, 3387 for clementines and 3361 for grapefruit. No other code on the whole IFPS list says anything about treatment.
The codes for fruit and vegetables commonly sold in Romania#
The selection has 139 codes, each checked against the IFPS list of 16 October 2026. Size thresholds are averages per box. For the organic version, put a 9 in front. Click a code to read it in the box at the top.
| Code | Organic | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Bananas | ||
| 4011 | 94011 | Yellow bananas, including Cavendish, any size |
| 4186 | 94186 | Yellow bananas, small |
| 4231 | 94231 | Green bananas, any size |
| 4234 | 94234 | Baby bananas, any size |
| 4235 | 94235 | Plantains (cooking bananas), any size |
| 4236 | 94236 | Red bananas, any size |
| Apples | ||
| 4133 | 94133 | Gala apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4135 | 94135 | Gala apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4173 | 94173 | Royal Gala apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4174 | 94174 | Royal Gala apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4021 | 94021 | Golden Delicious apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4020 | 94020 | Golden Delicious apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4139 | 94139 | Granny Smith apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4017 | 94017 | Granny Smith apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4015 | 94015 | Red Delicious apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4016 | 94016 | Red Delicious apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4129 | 94129 | Fuji apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4131 | 94131 | Fuji apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4128 | 94128 | Cripps Pink apples (Pink Lady), small, under 205 g |
| 4130 | 94130 | Cripps Pink apples (Pink Lady), large, 205 g or more |
| 4101 | 94101 | Braeburn apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4103 | 94103 | Braeburn apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4140 | 94140 | Idared apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4142 | 94142 | Idared apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4145 | 94145 | Jonagold apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4147 | 94147 | Jonagold apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4149 | 94149 | Jonathan apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4151 | 94151 | Jonathan apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 3344 | 93344 | Gloster apples, small, under 205 g |
| 3345 | 93345 | Gloster apples, large, 205 g or more |
| 4121 | 94121 | Elstar apples, small, under 205 g |
| 4123 | 94123 | Elstar apples, large, 205 g or more |
| Pears | ||
| 3017 | 93017 | Conference pears, any size |
| 3012 | 93012 | Abate Fetel pears, any size |
| 4024 | 94024 | Williams pears, small, under 180 g |
| 4409 | 94409 | Williams pears, large, 180 g or more |
| 4421 | 94421 | Packham pears, any size |
| 4414 | 94414 | Comice pears, any size |
| 3378 | 93378 | Santa Maria pears, any size |
| 3021 | 93021 | Guyot pears, any size |
| Citrus fruit | ||
| 4013 | 94013 | Navel oranges, small, under 66 mm |
| 3107 | 93107 | Navel oranges, medium, 66 to under 84 mm |
| 4012 | 94012 | Navel oranges, large, 84 mm or more |
| 3108 | 93108 | Valencia oranges, medium, 66 to under 84 mm |
| 4381 | 94381 | Blood oranges, any size |
| 3374 | 93374 | Oranges without postharvest treatment, any size |
| 4033 | 94033 | Lemons, small, under 54 mm |
| 4958 | 94958 | Lemons, medium, 54 to under 65 mm |
| 4053 | 94053 | Lemons, large, 65 mm or more |
| 3362 | 93362 | Lemons without postharvest treatment, any size |
| 4048 | 94048 | Limes, including Persian and Tahiti, any size |
| 3383 | 93383 | Clementines, small |
| 3384 | 93384 | Clementines, medium |
| 3385 | 93385 | Clementines, large |
| 3386 | 93386 | Clementines with leaves attached, any size |
| 3387 | 93387 | Clementines without postharvest treatment, any size |
| 4055 | 94055 | Mandarins, any size |
| 3389 | 93389 | Satsuma mandarins, any size |
| 3030 | 93030 | Nova mandarins, including Clemenvilla, any size |
| 4047 | 94047 | Pink or red grapefruit, small, under 97 mm |
| 4282 | 94282 | Pink or red grapefruit, large, 97 to under 108 mm |
| 4291 | 94291 | White grapefruit, small, under 97 mm |
| 4294 | 94294 | White grapefruit, large, 97 to under 108 mm |
| 3361 | 93361 | Grapefruit without postharvest treatment, any size |
| 4279 | 94279 | White pomelo, any size |
| 3129 | 93129 | Red pomelo, any size |
| Avocado, kiwi and other tropical fruit | ||
| 4046 | 94046 | Hass avocado, small, under 190 g |
| 4225 | 94225 | Hass avocado, large, 190 to under 315 g |
| 4222 | 94222 | Green avocado, small, under 280 g |
| 4224 | 94224 | Green avocado, large, 280 g or more |
| 3354 | 93354 | Ripe, ready-to-eat avocado, any size |
| 4030 | 94030 | Kiwifruit, any size |
| 3279 | 93279 | Golden kiwifruit, any size |
| 4029 | 94029 | Pineapple, small (8–10 to a box) |
| 4430 | 94430 | Pineapple, large (5–7 to a box) |
| 4051 | 94051 | Red mango, including Kent and Tommy Atkins, small |
| 4959 | 94959 | Red mango, including Kent and Tommy Atkins, large |
| 4311 | 94311 | Green mango, including Keitt, small |
| 4312 | 94312 | Yellow mango, including Ataulfo, small |
| 4445 | 94445 | Pomegranates, small, under 7.6 cm |
| 3127 | 93127 | Pomegranates, medium, 8.6–9.8 cm |
| 3440 | 93440 | Pomegranates, large, 10.8 cm or more |
| 4428 | 94428 | Kaki (Sharon fruit), any size |
| 4052 | 94052 | Papaya, small |
| 4394 | 94394 | Papaya, large |
| 4261 | 94261 | Husked coconut, fibrous husk removed, hard shell on, any size |
| 4397 | 94397 | Purple passion fruit, any size |
| 4309 | 94309 | Lychees, any size |
| Peaches, apricots, cherries and grapes | ||
| 4037 | 94037 | Yellow-fleshed peaches, small, under 185 g |
| 4038 | 94038 | Yellow-fleshed peaches, large, 185 g or more |
| 4400 | 94400 | White-fleshed peaches, small, under 185 g |
| 4401 | 94401 | White-fleshed peaches, large, 185 g or more |
| 3113 | 93113 | Flat white-fleshed peaches, Saturn type, any size |
| 3115 | 93115 | Flat yellow-fleshed peaches, any size |
| 4035 | 94035 | Yellow-fleshed nectarines, small, under 185 g |
| 4036 | 94036 | Yellow-fleshed nectarines, large, 185 g or more |
| 4218 | 94218 | Apricots, small |
| 3302 | 93302 | Apricots, large |
| 4041 | 94041 | Red plums, including Santa Rosa, small, under 50 mm |
| 4042 | 94042 | Red plums, including Santa Rosa, large, 50 mm or more |
| 4039 | 94039 | Black plums, small, under 50 mm |
| 4040 | 94040 | Black plums, large, 50 mm or more |
| 3357 | 93357 | Red or black cherries, small |
| 3358 | 93358 | Red or black cherries, large |
| 4258 | 94258 | Yellow cherries, including Rainier, any size |
| 4022 | 94022 | White seedless grapes, Thompson Seedless or Peerlette, any size |
| 4023 | 94023 | Red seedless grapes, Flame, Ruby or Emperatriz, any size |
| 4056 | 94056 | Black seedless grapes, varieties without a code of their own, any size |
| 3043 | 93043 | Italia grapes, with seeds, any size |
| 4266 | 94266 | Black figs, any size |
| Melons | ||
| 4031 | 94031 | Red-fleshed watermelon, any size |
| 4032 | 94032 | Red-fleshed seedless watermelon, any size |
| 4049 | 94049 | Cantaloupe, small, under 1,135 g |
| 4050 | 94050 | Cantaloupe, large, 1,135 g or more |
| 4326 | 94326 | Galia melon, any size |
| 3101 | 93101 | Piel de Sapo melon, any size |
| 4329 | 94329 | Honeydew melon, small, under 2,040 g |
| 4034 | 94034 | Honeydew melon, large, 2,040 g or more |
| 3033 | 93033 | Charentais melon, small, under 625 g |
| 3034 | 93034 | Charentais melon, large, 625 g or more |
| Tomatoes and other vegetables | ||
| 4063 | 94063 | Tomatoes, red, small, under 70 mm |
| 4064 | 94064 | Tomatoes, red, large, 70 mm or more |
| 4798 | 94798 | Greenhouse or hydroponic tomatoes, red, small, under 70 mm |
| 4799 | 94799 | Greenhouse or hydroponic tomatoes, red, large, 70 mm or more |
| 4087 | 94087 | Plum tomatoes (Roma), red, any size |
| 4664 | 94664 | Tomatoes on the vine, red, any size |
| 4796 | 94796 | Cherry tomatoes, red, any size |
| 3061 | 93061 | Beefsteak tomatoes, any size |
| 4688 | 94688 | Red greenhouse bell pepper, any size |
| 4689 | 94689 | Yellow greenhouse bell pepper, any size |
| 4088 | 94088 | Red field-grown bell pepper, any size |
| 4062 | 94062 | Short cucumbers, any size |
| 4593 | 94593 | Long greenhouse cucumbers, any size |
| 4067 | 94067 | Courgettes, any size |
| 4081 | 94081 | Aubergines, any size |
| 4082 | 94082 | Red onions, any size |
| 4608 | 94608 | Garlic, any size |
| 4816 | 94816 | Golden sweet potatoes, any size |
| 4612 | 94612 | Ginger root, any size |
Sources#
- IFPS, what a PLU code is and the 3000, 4000, 83000 and 84000 series ifpsglobal.com
- IFPS, PLU code database (full export of 16 October 2026: 1,548 rows, last change on 28 May 2026) ifpsglobal.com
- IFPS, July 2015 media release on the 8 prefix ifpsglobal.com
- IFPS, PLU frequently asked questions (May 2025) ifpsglobal.com
- IFPS, PLU codes user’s guide (January 2023) ifpsglobal.com
- IFPS, why codes do not mark GMO, Fair Trade or other designations (December 2018) ifpsglobal.com
- Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production (Articles 32 and 33: control body code, EU logo) eur-lex.europa.eu
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165, Annex I: substances authorised in organic farming eur-lex.europa.eu
- Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 on genetically modified food (Articles 12 and 13: labelling) eur-lex.europa.eu
- Romanian Ministry of Agriculture, approved organic control bodies (RO-ECO codes) madr.ro
- European Commission, register of authorised genetically modified organisms ec.europa.eu
Product names and groups are translations of the IFPS descriptions. For any code outside the selection, the IFPS database is the source.