All About the Egg

Julian Dates

Starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365, these numbers represent the consecutive days of the year. This number system is sometimes used on egg cartons to denote the day the eggs are packed. You can store fresh shell eggs in their cartons in the refrigerator with insignificant quality loss for four to five weeks beyond this date.
– See Carton Dates, Expiration Date