Subtitle: There is a very specific kind of confusion that happens when you’re standing in the dairy aisle, squinting at the side of an egg carton, and trying to decipher a random string of numbers stamped in black ink.

Let me tell you about the first time I really looked at an egg carton.

I was standing in the dairy aisle, squinting at the side of an egg carton, trying to figure out what the numbers meant. I saw a calendar date, but right next to it, there was a three-digit number—like “245” or “032”—and maybe a letter “P” followed by some more numbers. Was it an expiration date? A secret code? I had no idea.

I decided to do some research, and I was amazed by what I found.

The Three-Digit Number: The Julian Date

The three-digit number is the Julian date. It indicates the day of the year the eggs were packed.

What it is: The Julian date is a three-digit number representing the day of the year.

Example: 001 is January 1st. 365 is December 31st.

Why it matters: It tells you how fresh the eggs are.

How to read it: The first number is the day of the year.

The fresher, the better. The closer the Julian date is to the sell-by date, the fresher the eggs.

The Plant Code

The “P” followed by a number is the plant code. It identifies the processing plant where the eggs were packed.

What it is: A code that identifies the processing plant.

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