How long are eggs good after the date on the carton?

Two dates on one carton

A carton of USDA-graded eggs usually carries two different numbers, and they answer different questions.

The sell-by or EXP date tells the store when to pull the carton. USDA's own advice is to buy eggs before that date, keep them cold, and then use the 3–5 week home-storage clock. Full details on the codes, with more examples: how to read egg carton dates.

Worked example: how old are these eggs?

Say it's September 26, 2026, and there's a half-used carton in the fridge.

1. Find the pack date. The carton says 252. In 2026 (not a leap year), day 252 is September 9. The Julian date converter does this in one step.
2. Find the day they went in your fridge. You bought them on September 12.
3. Add USDA's window. Three to five weeks from September 12 is October 3 to October 17. FDA's best-quality mark, 3 weeks, is October 3.
4. Compare with the carton. The stamp says EXP OCT 07. That date passes in the middle of the USDA window, which is exactly the situation USDA describes as normal.

So these eggs are 17 days past packing and two weeks into home storage, inside both agencies' windows. They'll keep losing quality as the white thins and the yolk flattens, so use them over the next week or so. If any are left near the end, hard-cook them: USDA points out that older eggs are easier to peel.

Buy eggs two dozen at a time? Scan each carton when you unpack. FreshScan reads the printed EXP or sell-by date and scores pack codes down so they aren't mistaken for the expiry, then reminds you two days before.

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How to check an egg

• Crack it into a separate bowl before adding it to anything. USDA says a spoiled egg has an unpleasant odor when you break the shell, raw or cooked.
• Look at the white. A cloudy white means a very fresh egg; a clear, runny white means an older one, which is a quality change, not spoilage. A pink or iridescent white is a sign of spoilage by Pseudomonas bacteria: throw it out.
• Blood spots come from a tiny blood vessel at ovulation and, per USDA, don't mean the egg is unsafe.
• The float test only shows age. A floating egg has a large air cell; USDA says it may be perfectly safe, so the bowl check still decides.

When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste raw egg to check it.

Storage habits that make the window hold

• Buy eggs from a refrigerated case, and open the carton to check for cracked or dirty shells.
• Keep them in the carton, in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door.
• Don't wash them. USDA says washing at home isn't necessary and can pull water through the pores in the shell; graded eggs are already washed and sanitized at the plant.
• If an egg cracks on the way home, break it into a clean container, cover it, refrigerate it and use it within 2 days.
• Don't leave eggs out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. A cold egg that warms up can sweat, which helps bacteria move in.
• Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, and egg dishes to 160°F (71°C).

Freezing eggs

Don't freeze eggs in the shell; FDA and USDA both say so. To freeze whole eggs, crack them into a bowl and beat the yolks and whites together until just blended. NDSU Extension suggests stirring in ½ teaspoon of salt or 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup so the yolks don't turn grainy, and labeling which one you used. Whites freeze well on their own; FoodKeeper gives them 12 months. Thaw in the fridge and use them in dishes that are fully cooked.

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