Is there a way to tell from the egg carton how old the eggs are?
To determine freshness, a pack-date calendar (or Julian Date calendar) can be used like the one below. This three-digit code indicates the date of packaging, starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. These numbers represent the consecutive days of the year. For example a egg carton with a packaging date of 032, means the eggs were packed on February 1st. You can store fresh shell egs in their cartons in the the refrigerator for four to five weeks beyond this date.
Here is an example of the date stamp on a package of Vital Farms Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs. The day that these eggs were packed into the carton is Day 251 on the Julian Calendar which is September 8, 2021. Vital Farms take there labels a bit further and allows the consumer to view the farm that these eggs were harvested. https://vitalfarms.com/farm/.
James Toney Farms: https://vitalfarms.com/farm/jt-farm/
Continue reading