When you purchase food items at your local grocery store, you may notice a printed sell by date, use by date or best before date on the packaging or item itself and wonder just what that date really means. When picking out eggs at the supermarket, most of us check the "best by" date, but it turns out those other numbers listed on the carton may be the real key to avoiding some very bad eggs. “Julian Date”. There are so many different labels on eggs these days, it’s difficult to know which ones are the best. If you left your carton of eggs out on the counter for an extended period of time, the eggs would actually go bad before the date." The egg begins to lose moisture, and if you bought a carton of eggs on December 1 that has the packaging date of 306, well, your yolks might not taste so "eggcellent." It fails the "float test" The easiest way to tell whether or not a carton of eggs has gone bad is to do … On cartons with the USDA grademark, this date can not exceed 30 days after the eggs were packed in the carton. . Look for the Julian date on the end of the carton. All egg cartons have a pack date. You can get an idea of how fresh your eggs are by checking the Julian date. The Department of Agriculture requires all graded eggs to have their pack date — the day that the eggs were washed, graded and placed in the egg container — stamped on the carton. You'd rather buy fresh ones right? Some states also require eggs be stamped with an “expiration” date, which is scary-sounding but effectively a sell-by date. Although not required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond which the eggs should not be sold, but are still safe to eat. A “Sell By” or “Expiration Date” ensures eggs aren’t kept on shelves past a certain date. What does the date on the egg carton mean? The numbers should be somewhere between 001 to 365, and refer to the specific day in the 365 calendar year that your eggs were harvested. 3.2 “Commercial re-use of this carton is prohibited” should be printed on egg cartons in a font size of 3mm or greater and in Arial Bold font. Information from the Georgia Egg Commission: Julian Date: Starting with January 1 as number 1 and ending with December 31 as 365, these numbers represent the consecutive days of the year. "Use-by," "sell-by," and "best-if-consumed-by" dates are guidelines for how long the food item is considered fresh or safe. There are so many different labels on eggs these days, it’s difficult to know which ones are the best. How to Decode Your Egg Carton. Before you buy them, open up the carton and make sure the eggs have clean, uncracked shells. All USDA-graded egg cartons must include a processing plant code. However, eggs can be safely eaten 2-3 weeks beyond the expiration date or sell by date. Yes. This is always a 3-digit date that corresponds to the day of the year the eggs were packed. This is 3-digit date, in the Julian calendar format. "So, that does not always mean that the eggs have gone bad. Apparently, the date stamped on egg cartons includes a number which is called the Julian Date. This tells you the date that the eggs were packed in the egg carton. How can you be sure you’re making an egg-ucated decision about the type, size and color? You can also freeze eggs for longer storage. This three-digit code indicates the date of packaging, starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. None of … So what are those labels on egg cartons telling you? Where The Eggs Were Packaged. This three-digit sequence refers to the specific date that your eggs were packaged (via Insider). What Egg-Xactly Does That Egg Label Mean? “Once the date has passed, the egg loses its peak quality based on shelf life studies and consumer test preferences,” he explains. On cartons with the USDA grademark, this date can not exceed 30 days after the eggs were packed in the carton. As the egg ages the whites will thin and shrink and not be as good for whipping, rising cakes and plump poached. Although not required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond which the eggs should not be sold, but are still safe to eat. On cartons with the USDA grade logo, the expiration date cannot exceed 30 days after the eggs were packed in the carton. When refrigerated, eggs will last longer than if set out at … The mystery deepens… does anyone have an eggsplanation? Many egg cartons … Eggs and other dairy products are temperature sensitive. The plant code usually starts with a P and is followed by a four digit number. The date is usually just an indicator of the egg’s freshness. Animal welfare is of the utmost importance to Sprouts, and we hold both our suppliers and ourselves to high standards in regard to supply chain transparency. Although not required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond which the eggs should not be sold, but are still safe to eat. This three-digit code represents the consecutive day of the year, with January 1 as 001 and December 31 being 365. But as long … © 2020 Egg Safety Center. 2. Egg Carton Labels Can Be Confusing! What Does Your Egg Carton Label Mean? They open and close the egg cartons, look at pictures on the carton of hens dancing in the sunshine, and mull over words, like “natural” or “organic,” in an effort to determine if the eggs they are holding were laid by happy hens. Choose the most economical and useful egg size for your lifestyle. You'll usually find it on one of the ends, near the sell-by date or expiration date. Food can be bad before the date. I use eggs 3-5 weeks from that date, because eggs degrade over time. Viewed 176 times 2. 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