Eggs "pack date" code

I've discovered how to determine the exact date when a carton of eggs was packaged. I thought this might be useful information for parents trying to avoid potentially contaminated foods.

This is from the USDA website:

"Egg cartons with the USDA grade shield on them must display the "pack date" (the day that the eggs were washed, graded, and placed in the carton). The number is a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. When a "sell-by" date appears on a carton bearing the USDA grade shield, the code date may not exceed 45 days from the date of pack."

For example, the three digit code on the Norco Ranch eggs I purchased from Costco is "075" and the "sell by" date is Apr 14. Counting 75 days starting from Jan 01 results in a "pack date" of Mar 17.

There's quite a bit of additional product dating information available from the USDA:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp#8