Stamped date on Fresh Eggs?

- I went into a shop yesterday and there were lots of eggs on the open cartons with a stamped date on the egg of 23 March. The shopkeeper did not know what the date meant but assured me that it was NOT the sell by date. I have also found out that eggs keep about a month after the sell by date.

Stamped date on Fresh Eggs?
According to DEFRA the date stamped on the eggs is the laying date, or the first working day after laying. This should be carried out either at the farm or the packing station.


The best before date should be preceded by BB
Reply:On all the eggs I have bought (stamped) the date is preceded by BB (best before) NEVER the date it was layed!





Either that, or they have come from the future!!





I urge you to go in any shop/supermarket and look at the date on the stamped eggs. Report It

Reply:The date could be the date of laying. The best way to tell if the eggs are passed their sell buy date is when the lion on the stamp is holding it's nose.
Reply:In Illinois this is the use by date. But our cartons would clearly say Exp 3/23/07. I can not believe he said he didn't know what it was. I would think twice before shopping someplace where people are so clueless.
Reply:Nearly everything now has to have a use by or best before date. Best before means this product is at its prime before this date but can be consumed after as long as it smells and looks normal. Use by normally on meats and high risk foods. Are again advising that consumption after use by date can be a risk. such as chicken and food poisoning.


If you work with food in the UK you must have a food hygiene certificate. This teaches you the basic of food hygiene and things like use by and best before date.
Reply:it is use by date and i would take notice of it cos eggs can cause illness if not fresh or cooked properly.
Reply:I'm sure this is a use by date. If it's got a lion stamp then it's salmonella free and should last 3 weeks after they're bought, but that date sounds dodgy. Next time you go to another shop look at the date stamps and compare them.





I just found this website:-





http://www.britegg.co.uk/lionquality05/s...





it says that the date is a best before date! Don't eat them


.
Reply:I have also found that eggs keep well past the date on the carton. I have found though that the older the egg the better they are for hard-cooking.





Don't let the nervous nellies tell you otherwise.
Reply:WILL THEY LEAVE NOTHING SACRED
Reply:What a load of old tosh...





If you go into any shop selling eggs, how can the date stamped by "Lion" on them be the date of laying??? If I now go into say, Waitrose and the eggs have April 15th on them, it means "use by" not the day the hen dropped it!! Unless it layed a year ago on April 15th - then you would have a really, really stale egg.





This is as in lots of produce, a guidline. Many cartons of milk I have bought have lasted well over the "use by" date. It just safeguards the consumer from eating something which could harm them if consumed after a certain time. As already mentioned it is sometimes 'over protective' in our nanny state here in the UK.
Reply:It's a 'use by' date. The shopkeeper can incurr a fine for selling out of date produce.