USA.gov

Price Look-Up codes (PLUs) are printed on the small stickers attached to fresh produce at the grocery store. These codes are used to make check-out and inventory control easier for the store. They also tell you key pieces of information about the produce, such as how it was grown.

• Conventionally grown food can be identified by a four-digit number, such as 4011 for bananas.
• Organic food is identified by a a five-digit number that begins with a nine, such as 94011 for bananas.
• Genetically modified food is indicated by a five-digit number that begins with an eight, such as 84805 for a vine ripe tomato.

PLU codes are created by an international body and can be searched online.

If the sticker also has the USDA organic seal, then you know it’s been certified by the government through the National Organic Program. To be certified, products must be inspected and meet the USDA regulations. Learn more about organic label.

Summer heat can bring wildfires. If you live in an area where they are common, there are steps you can take to minimize damage.

The best thing you can do is use fire resistant building materials. If this isn’t possible, be sure to remove flammable materials, such as leaves, from your roof and store gasoline away from occupied buildings.

Get more tips for protecting your home from wildfires.

Image description: U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program rifle shooter Sgt. Vincent Hancock became the first shotgun shooter to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in men’s skeet. Photo from the Department of Defense.

Sixteen members of the United States Military are members of the 2012 U.S.A. Olympic team this summer in London. The Army, Marine Corps and Navy all have members who have qualified for different events, such as wrestling, fencing, the men’s 50m rifle prone and more.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Sandra Uptagrafft is the only woman representing the U.S. Military in the 2012 Olympics. She competed in the women’s 10m air pistol and women’s 25m pistol events.

Army Olympian Staff Sgt. John Nunn taught Americans how to race walk on NBC’s “Today” show. Nunn and his Olympic teammate, Maria Michta, spent an afternoon teaching the program’s cast members. After some practice, NBC broadcasters Al Roker, Matt Lauer and Ryan Seacrest joined Nunn for a lap around the track.

Learn about the accomplishments of all the 2012 U.S. Military Olympians.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Anyone can get skin cancer, but some people are at increased risk due to a combination of genetic factors and behaviors. Learn more about this potentially deadly cancer and what you can do to decrease your risk:

Risk Factors — Sun exposure, family history, and certain medical conditions are among the many risk factors.

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself — By limiting your exposure to UV radiation in a variety of ways, you can decrease your risk of developing skin cancer.

How to Check Your Skin — Doing a regular self-exam will help you to identify any new growths or potentially harmful changes.

Sunscreens and Tanning — Too much exposure to UV rays through indoor or outdoor tanning can lead to skin cancer.

Types of Skin Cancer — Learn about the three most common forms of skin cancer and where on the body they tend to occur.

Travelers abroad are at risk for malicious software being installed on their computers through internet networks at hotels, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

In most instances, a pop up window appears and asks the traveler to update a well known computer program. Once clicked, malicious software is installed on the laptop.

The FBI recommends to those traveling abroad that they should take extra precaution before updating their computer programs. Try and perform program updates before you leave home, instead of from the hotel. If your computer is attacked, contact your local FBI office and report it on IC3.gov.

Learn more about these kinds of malware attacks.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducts the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of about 15,000 U.S. high school students every two years. Dangerous behavior continues to drop in many key areas, but it is up in some others.

The percentage of high school students who…

• Never or rarely wore a seatbelt declined from 26% to 8% from 1991 to 2011.
• Rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol during the past 30 days declined from 40% to 24% from 1991 to 2011.
• Had driven a car during the past 30 days after drinking alcohol decreased from 17% in 1997 to 8% in 2011.

Alcohol remains the most commonly used drug among high school students.

• 1 in 3 high school students reported drinking alcohol in 2011
• 1 in 5 reported binge drinking in 2011
• And yet, both groups have decreased by over ten percent since the late 1990s.

Marijuana use has…

• Decreased slightly from 27% in 1999 to 23% in 2011.
• Become more common than cigarette use (18%).

The use of technology among youth has resulted in new risks…

• 1 in 3 high school students had texted or e-mailed while driving a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days.
• 1 in 6 had been bullied through email, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites, or texting during the past 12 months.

Read analysis and explore the data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

This chart shows pregnancy rates in the United States, by age of woman, in 2000 and 2008.

In 2008, the estimated pregnancy rate in the U.S. was 105.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–44. This is 9% lower than the pregnancy rate in 1990.

From 1990-2008, the pregnancy rate for teenagers fell 40%. The rate in 2008 was the lowest reported since 1976.

While the overall pregnancy rate may be on the decline, it is rising for women aged 30-44.

Learn more about trends in the pregnancy rate by age, race, and marital status (PDF).

Summertime can bring a range of weather challenges and potential dangers. Some of these threats can occur with little warning, so do what you can to prepare by assembling an emergency kit and forming a plan of action.

Find out what you should do if faced with the following weather dangers:

In the U.S., lightning kills more people each year than tornadoes and hurricanes. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance and should seek shelter in an enclosed building or vehicle. While indoors, don’t use a corded phone, a computer or other electrical appliances; and avoid contact with plumbing (don’t shower, wash hands, do laundry, etc.). Learn more about lightning safety and get tips on what to do if you’re outdoors during a thunderstorm.

If you have time, move essential items to an upper floor. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water. Do not walk through moving water that is six inches or higher. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground. Learn more about what to do before, during, and after a flood.

If you can’t evacuate, get inside and secure external and internal doors. Stay away from windows and doors and take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level. Learn more about what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.

Storm cellars and basements are the safest locations, but if they aren’t available, go to an interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level. Stay away from windows, doors, outside walls, and corners. If you are in a trailer or mobile home, go to a sturdy, nearby building. Learn more about what to do before, during, and after a tornado.

Stay indoors as much as possible. Consider spending the hottest part of the day in an air-conditioned public building, such as a library or shopping mall. Never leave children or pets alone in vehicles. Learn more about what to do in extreme heat.

If your home is threatened by a wildfire, you must evacuate. If you have time, bring an emergency kit that includes copies of important documents. Learn more about what to do before, during, and after a wildfire.

If you are indoors, stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls and get under a sturdy table or desk. If you are outside, keep away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires. If you’re in a moving vehicle, safely stop the vehicle in an open area and stay inside. Learn more about what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.