Egg cartons often contain several dates, numbers, and codes, which can make it difficult to know what they actually mean. One of the most useful markings on many U.S. egg cartons is a three-digit number known as the pack date.
Rather than showing a traditional calendar date, the pack date uses numbers from 001 through 365 to indicate the day of the year when the eggs were packaged. For example, 032 represents February 1, while 198 represents July 17 in a non-leap year.
This number can be useful when comparing cartons or deciding which eggs to use first. However, the pack date alone does not determine whether an egg is safe to eat.
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