10/9/07 Designer Label Produce

The marketing success of Ralph Lauren alone should prove Americas' obsession with labels. We preference specific labels on the back of our jeans, our handbags, hunting rifles, even our beef. We are fully aware that the right label denotes quality and the wrong one often the lack there of. What about the labels on produce? Do you notice them? They're there! Yet many of us place very little importance on the small sticker found on each apple or onion. We would do well to acquaint ourselves because those tiny labels can tell us not only what country our produce was grown in but also how it was grown. By reading the numbers called the price look up code we can discern if a carrot was grown conventionally (if it's a four digit code) , organically if a number 9 precedes the four digits or genetically modified if the code begins with a number 8. I don't know where you stand when it comes to labels, but whether your thoughts lean towards Chanel or Cabalas don't forget to check out the "designer "label produce at your local supermarket.