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The sell-by stamp can be another 30 days after the pack date.

Department of Agriculture regulates meat, poultry, and certain egg products and requires a “pack date” for poultry and some eggs, according to the NRDC.

The next time you clean out your pantry, consider what these common marks really mean: • Pack date: This is the day the product was manufactured.

Consumers need clearer language, Gunders argues, and for nonperishables this could mean printing the pack date and a phrase like “maximum quality three months after pack date.”