Grocery Store Little Labels - what do they really mean?
As an employee at the largest health organization in the world - the National Institutes of Health (NIH) located in Bethesda, Maryland, my mind was always on research of one kind or another. I came up with this great idea after visiting the grocery store and I soon realized I needed the help of my co-workers. I placed a poster in the break-room area where we got our coffee and had a small office refrigerator for bag lunches.
The sign read - "Your Assistance Requested." I am writing a research article about the little labels on fruits and vegetables and requesting employees to bring in to work all the little labels they can collect and include comments and experiences about their labels. This would be a groundbreaking research project!
Included on the poster was my name location and e-mail address. I even had a picture of some of the labels I was interested in just incase my co-workers became confused and not sure of what I was talking about. Hey, just because it's NIH, does not mean everyone understands easy to read, plain simple instructions.
I actually have every one of those wonderful labels (1996) saved in my file with lots of names from the contributing persons - Sally; Caroline; Dorothy - she actually wrote me a note that said, "Do not mention my name!" So I didn't.
Recently, I plucked off a label with the picture of the dog Pluto, paws on the bananas that actually said in tiny words, "Learn and Win at www.i-farms.com." That was interesting. What the dog had to do with bananas I don't have a clue.
Next, I discovered a shiny silver looking label and stuck that on the refrigerator. I was in a hurry and forgot to mark down where it came from. It is quite attractive with red lined circles and the words Durobar/Belgium written on it.
"What fruit or vegetable did this label come off?" I wondered to myself.
To my surprise, I found I had removed it from the bottom of a glass I bought at the local coffee shop. Those little labels can be tricky!
"Did you know that the blue and yellow Chiquita banana has an actual picture of a lady outlined in yellow #4011?" Australian Navel is green with a yellow Kangaroo #3012. I'd say that one was very clever. The word got out. I really felt bad about throwing those little labels away. Someone spent a lot of time creating these teeny-tiny labels and the least I could do was to save and appreciate them.
A label located on an orange said, Indian River #1231 and on a Washington D'Anjou pear, white and blue #4416. Grapefruit had a red and yellow #3027; Euro-Fresh with American Flag #4799, and said it was "pesticide free grown." Really! "How would you know for sure?" I have one dark blue label that states, Fyffes/Guatemala - forgot which fruit/vegetable that was stuck on.
Maybe I could make one of those old-fashioned shadow boxes folks use to peep through. "Remember those where you were a kid?"
It was fun to make using a shoe box, cutting a small hole in the top so you could see the picture. Then looking through a little hole at the end of the box, got a thrill by viewing the daring and unusual. A picture that could not possibly been seen anywhere else in the world! I thought I could make one for my labels.
"Ever wonder what the number means on the labels?" Not all fruits and vegetables have those numbers, but most do. Take for instance #4011 is that number found on all bananas or #4013 number designated for Sunkist navel oranges only?
Here was a quandary. "What about the numbers on fruits and vegetables that are the same?" "How can an apple with #4017 have the same number I found on a pear?" I actually came across that one and became very suspicious.
I found a red Dole label with #4011 and the Chiquita labels that have the same number #4011; and just to raise more confusion the Del Monte Quality label has the number #4011 too. "Well, they can't all be right, or can they?" Okay, so you get the point.
The next step of my research took me to the grocery store. It was time to talk to someone who really knew the meaning of these numbers - the store manager. Bet you never tried to talk to a manger about "little numbers" on the fruit and vegetables. That was quite an experience. Mr. Manager told me that was how they identified everything at the check out counter.
"Every wonder how they know to charge you a certain amount without the little label stickers? I'd check the next time you visit the grocery store. Could be you might be charged for celery instead of bananas!"