What do the numbers stamped on an egg mean?

Ever wondered what the numbers stamped on an egg indicate?

Does every egg have a unique number so that it can be tracked back to source? - Well no, every egg doesn't have a unique number but it can be tracked back to the egg producer. The numbers are known as the DEFRA (thats the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) code so here goes:

a) the first single digiit describes how the hen which laid the egg has been farmed:

0 = Organic

1 = Free Range

2 = Barn

3 = Caged

b) the next two letters indicate the country of origin - just a few of examples here to show the idea:

UK = United Kingdom (surprisingly)

DE = Germany

NL = Netherlands

FR = France

PL = Poland

AT = Austria

c) The following 5 digits are the code of the egg producer/farmer.

Customrubberstamp.co.uk sells the replacement ink cartridges for the Reiner 790 series of electronic ink-jet machines which are perfect for marking eggs with no risk of damaging them because there is no contact between stamp and egg. A specially formulated ink allows the egg to be stamped without risk of harmful contamination when eaten. Ink colours available are Red and Aubergine and you can find them to order here. They come in packs of three.

If you are interested in setting up an egg-marking operation, then contact us for further details