Pay attention to this date from now on. It’s not an ordinary expiration date. After working for years and years in grocery stores, I see that most people just randomly buy eggs without really noticing this detail

Absolutely! Here’s an engaging and informative article built around your message — focused on understanding egg carton dates, written with a mix of practical advice and behind-the-scenes insight from grocery store experience.

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### Pay Attention to This Date from Now On — It’s Not Just an Expiration Date

Let’s talk eggs.

After working for years in grocery stores, I’ve seen it time and time again — people casually grab a carton of eggs, maybe peek inside to make sure none are cracked, and toss it in the cart. But here’s the thing: **there’s a date on that carton that most people overlook**, and it actually says more than you might think.

It’s not just the *sell-by* or *expiration* date. There’s another one — and **this is the one you should really pay attention to** if you care about freshness, quality, and getting the best bang for your buck.

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### The Date You’ve Probably Ignored

Most egg cartons in the U.S. have **three types of codes**:

1. **Sell-by or Expiration Date** – This tells stores how long they can display the eggs. It’s *not* necessarily the date they go bad.
2. **Pack Date** – This is the one you want to look for.
3. **Plant Code** – Useful for tracking where the eggs were processed (not so much for freshness).

The **pack date** is shown as a 3-digit number, usually near the expiration or sell-by date. It represents the **day of the year** the eggs were packed — for example, January 1st is 001, December 31st is 365.

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