Many shoppers notice strange numbers printed on egg cartons and assume they are expiration dates or store codes. In reality, some of these markings provide useful information about when and where the eggs were packed. One of the most important is the three-digit Julian date, which represents the day of the year the eggs were packaged, beginning with 001 for January 1 and ending with 365 for December 31. Comparing this number between cartons can help you identify which eggs were packed more recently.
