What Do Packaging Dates and Codes Mean?

How to read the codes on your canned foods.
http://www.families.com/blog/how-to-read-the-codes-on-your-canned-foods

(SNIP) .... you might be asking about now, is a can code? Well, it’s a packing code used by the manufacturer for tracking purposes. That way they can more easily ensure their stock gets rotated, and if there’s a recall it’s possible to know exactly what cans are involved.

The thing is, these codes aren’t meant to be used by the consumer. If you grab a can of corn out of your cupboard you’ll quickly see the code on the top or bottom. It might be printed on the lid, or stamped into the metal so that you’ll feel it more easily than see it. You’ll notice it doesn’t make much sense. To the manufacturer, however, it contains a lot of important information, everything from the date of manufacture to where it was made. ---CONTINUED---

What is a Julian Date?
https://blog.foodinsurance.com/what-is-a-julian-date/

  (SNIP) ... you have to be on top of the manufacture dates, which can be fairly confusing if you don’t know the Julian dating system. Never fear, we’ve got you covered.

What is a Julian date? Julian dating is actually one of the oldest ways of keeping a calendar, dating centuries before we started our calendar system. While we’ve adopted a relatively young Gregorian calendar using years, months, and days, Julian dating uses only numbers.   ---CONTINUED---

Perpetual Julian Calendar can be found here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/mpes/pdfs/Julian_Calendar.pdf

This is an old post that I'm sharing from my original EHP prep site:

HANOVER FOODS CANNED/JARRED CODES

I buy alot of the Hanover canned kidney beans & great northern beans.  This company has not switched over to the "Best when used by Date".  Instead it is a complicated code.....at least in my eyes.  Today I was doing an inventory and realized I didn't know when my Hanover canned goods would expire.  I sent off an email to the company and got the following reply. Thought I'd better share so others can benefit.

HANOVER FOODS CANNED/JARRED CODES

Example: 37035 HLK6 12:30

First Digit 3 ignore (tells us what shift the product was done on).                                                                        

Second Digit 7 is for the year:  (2007).

Third, Fourth & Fifth Digit 035 is the day of the Year according to the Julian Calendar (February 4th).

HLK6 stands for the contents (Hanover Light Red Kidneys).

12:30 is for the production time (in Military time).


This particular can was produced on February 4, 2007 and we guarantee our canned products for two (2) years,
so it will expire February 4, 2009.

What do packaging dates mean?
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/food-nutrition/food-storage-guide-answers-the-question/fn579.pdf

(Page 15)


"Sell by" means the store should sell the product by the printed date, but the product still can be safely eaten by the consumer.

"Best if used by" means the consumer should use the product by the date listed for best quality and flavor (not for safety reasons).

"Use by" or "expires" means the product should be used by consumers by the date listed; you are likely to see a marked deterioration in product quality and safety after that date.

NOTE: this is a great chart that helps you decode those numbers on your product packages, when there is NOT a date code stamped for easy reference! A BIG help!

Canned Good Shelf Life And Stamped Code Decoder
http://www.y2kkitchen.com/html/can_code_decoder.html

by Gail Fialkow

The following grid will help you decipher those confusing codes on the tops and sides of canned, boxed, bottled goods. Hint: set your page setup to print landscape.   ---CONTINUED---

Continental Mills - Krusteaz - How to Read the code
http://www.krusteaz.com/brands/krusteaz/mfg_code/

Continental Mills retail product codes are based on date of manufacture.  For the best quality, we suggest that all products be used within the recommended guidelines listed below.  Under proper storage conditions (cool, dry location out of direct sunlight), our products may meet acceptable quality expectations as follows:


- Dessert Mixes and Pie Crust Mix    12 months
- Bread Mixes                                 12 months

- Cookie, Brownie and Muffin Mixes  18 months
- Pancake and Waffle Mixes             24 months

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SMALL BOXES (RETAIL BOXES)

Continental Mills products have the manufacturing code embossed (indented into the cardboard) or printed in dark ink on the top or bottom flap of the package.  This code tells us important information about the manufacturing of this product.  The code reads as follows:

- The first number after the two letters represents the year of manufacture.
- The next three numbers represent the number of days into the year
(Using the 365-day calendar).

Using the example below: DF6060D indicates the product was produced on the 60th day (March 1st) in the year 2006.

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LARGE BOXES OR BAGS (CLUB STORE SIZE)

Continental Mills products that are sold in bags or large boxes have the manufacturing code ink-coded on the back or bottom of the bag or box, or a "best if used by" date.  The "best if used by" date will have a date, as well as our manufacturing code.

Using the example below: DE6251D indicates the product was produced on the 251st day (September 8th) in the year 2006.
     
Providing the finest quality products is our commitment to you.  We welcome your questions or comments.   Please click on the Contact Us page or call us at 1-800-457-7744, weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Armour Star Products
How do you read the date code on the can?
http://armour-star.com/faq.asp

  The code is generally stamped on the top or bottom of the can. The code is as follows: PPYMDDXXXX

   The first and second characters "PP" is the Production Facility
   The third character "Y" is the last number of the year
   The fourth character "M" is the Month in the letter designation.

(A=January, B=February, C=March, D=April, E=May, F=June, G=July, H=August, K=September, L=October, M=November, N=December)

   The fifth and sixth characters "DD" are the day of the month
   The final four characters "XXXX" is the time of production in Military form.

For example: PP6A0610:30
Reads: Product Plant, 2006, January, the 6th day of the month, at 10:30 a.m.

Original Coding: The production codes are spray-jetted on the bottom of the container. The first letter represents the month of production. "A" stands for January, "B" stands for February and so on. The next two numbers represent the day of the month the product was processed. The third number indicates the year. If the production code reads D056C23, it was produced April 5, 2006. This does not apply to roast or corned beef.

Some products that are manufactured out of the country may have another code. Please call CONSUMER INFORMATION CENTER 1-800-528-0849 for assistance Monday through Friday form 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please Note: All our canned meats go through a sterilization process during canning, which make them shelf-stable. According to our food technologies, the shelf life of the meat products is at least two years. After this, some small chemical changes may occur within the product that DO NOT affect the safety but may affect the flavor of the product.

Several years ago, I wrote to Chicken of the Sea to ask about the length of time BEYOND the expiration date their products can be used for POUCH products.

This is their Email reply:

Our pouch product has a 3 year shelf life for the best flavor. We are happy to announce that the “best by" date has been placed on all of our Chicken of the Sea products since 2007.

This is the link to their website for CANNED products:

How long is canned tuna edible?
http://chickenofthesea.com/faq_5.aspx

Commercially canned and pouched food may be safely stored for several years as long as the container is not bulged, damaged or leaking in any manner. A concern with prolonged periods of storage is that the product begins to lose some if its palatability. We recommend that stocks of canned or pouched goods be rotated in your normal food supply so that none is stored much longer than a year prior to consumption.

From the USDA:

Food Product Dating
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Food_Product_Dating.pdf?redirecthttp=true

“Sell by Feb 14” is a type of information you might find on a meat or poultry product. Are dates required on food products? Does it mean the product will be unsafe to use after that date? Here is some background information which answers these and other questions about product dating. ---CONTINUED---

Canned Food, Shelf Life
http://www.foodreference.com/html/tcannedfoodshelflife.html

  One of the most frequently asked questions about canned food is its shelf life and "use-by" dates. The codes that are stamped on canned food are manufacturers' codes that usually designate the date the product was packaged. The codes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and usually include coding for time and place of canning. Most manufacturers offer a toll-free number to call for questions about canned food expiration dates. For a sampling of how to read product codes, See Below. ---CONTINUED---

Decoding Food Dates
https://extension.wsu.edu/foodsafety/content/decoding-food-dates/

Do the dates on food packages puzzle you? What about those letters and numbers? If you are confused or puzzled– you are not alone.

(SNIP) ... Here are some generally accepted definitions for food dates that may help you determine how long you want to store foods once you get them home. ---CONTINUED---