Purina’s new mill date code uses Julian calendar

[Lauravonsmurf]

I haven't seen these since my 20s. I don't miss them.

and its a day code. 365 in a year (mostly). Close enough. I can use it without needing to do more than count by 30s and I'll be within 72 hours of the actual production date.

Yeah it is good enough to give us an idea.

 

[SueT]

@K0k0shka –My first thought is that Purina changed to this system to make it harder for the consumer to decipher.....but maybe it’s because it’s simpler for the stamping machine to just reset one number a day, than reset the whole thing each month.
Now that we know the method, we can easily tell which feeds are freshest, so no worries here, whether the store rotates their stock or not. As @U_Stormcrow says, just count by 30’s. I will need more feed in the end of March, so I’ll be looking for 050’s thru 080’s in the dates.

 

[K0k0shka]

@K0k0shka –My first thought is that Purina changed to this system to make it harder for the consumer to decipher.

I can believe that. In fact, it’s the most logical explanation so far. Companies want to make money, and customers inadvertently buying older feed that would otherwise have been a loss, makes business sense. Feed companies already give themselves leeway by stamping a mill date and not an expiration date, so they can stretch the sell window wider than human foods with an expiration date. Obscuring the mill date pushes that even further. I am willing to bet that it’s a marketing trick. Why else would they care about it so much that they’d implement such a sweeping change to something that worked just fine up until now.

maybe it’s because it’s simpler for the stamping machine to just reset one number a day, than reset the whole thing each month.

But they’ve been doing it just fine until now… Large scale production and date stamps are controlled by computers these days anyway, changing three characters can’t be that big of a hurdle. It’s not like it’s Joe with the rubber stamp

 

[3KillerBs]

This is ridiculous.

Changing out the simple for the complicated, the obvious for the obscure has to raise a suspicion of ill-intent.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I can believe that. In fact, it’s the most logical explanation so far. Companies want to make money, and customers inadvertently buying older feed that would otherwise have been a loss, makes business sense. Feed companies already give themselves leeway by stamping a mill date and not an expiration date, so they can stretch the sell window wider than human foods with an expiration date. Obscuring the mill date pushes that even further. I am willing to bet that it’s a marketing trick. Why else would they care about it so much that they’d implement such a sweeping change to something that worked just fine up until now.


But they’ve been doing it just fine until now… Large scale production and date stamps are controlled by computers these days anyway, changing three characters can’t be that big of a hurdle. It’s not like it’s Joe with the rubber stamp

Changing out the stamping machines **IS** an expense, though - as is takign down the production lines to install and test them. A wise business* wouldn't do that unless they thought it was either necessary or benefitted them more than it cost to make the change, over some reasonable time frame.

*I have worked for some remarkably foolish businesses, among some of the biggest in the world. Nothing says "stupid" like institutional inertia.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Well seeing as they are still using letters I doubt they changed out their stamping machines. Maybe a software change some where in the system. I know software can really mess things up. Like at my job when they could no longer get updates for the map and route system so then they had to find a whole new company… and programs are often square pegs being hammered into a circle when it comes to my job.

 

[rayrose]

Nutrena does the same thing.

 

[Tervuren]

Nutrena does the same thing.

Wonder if that’s mill dependent? I bought a bag of Nutrena yesterday and the date is in a normal, modern format on the tag.

 

[SueT]

My son is an engineer for a company that builds packing machines, often for food products, and i asked him about date codes. This is what he said,
”We do deal with date coding on a lot of projects. We used to do a lot of embossed date codes, but most applications have switched to ink jet or laser printers. The laser date coders actually burn a layer of material off, leaving a different color material below.
As far as the actual codes go, we pretty much just do whatever the customer wants. One thing I've noticed is that Julian dates are often used to show the date of manufacture on shelf stable products, whereas "sell-by" or "use-by" dates are pretty much always shown in standard date format.”
That doesn’t at all explain why Purina chose to change their code system. But as @K0k0shka pointed out, it’s not a sell by date, but a date of manufacture. So I guess the consumer decides what’s too old. I try to get it 2 months or less.
Anyway, now you all know how to read Purina’s code, and can continue to choose the freshest bags.

 

[emjones]

@SueT Thanks for posting this! I was literally just at the feed store looking at mill dates and prices, and was confused by Purina's date. A lot of old posts here at Backyard Chickens still discussed the single-digit year code they used to use, and those were all I found on my phone in the store. I ended up buying a different brand, just because they used a normal date scheme. But now that I know the Purina date code, I can keep them in mind for future purchases.

Somewhat related (but perhaps should be a new thread?), how often can you change brands of feed? Can you go with whatever is freshest / latest mill date at the feed store, as long as you gradually transition from one bag to the next? Or is it better to stay with a single brand, even if the food is older?

Also, how old is old? Is there a certain time span between mill date and finishing the bag that you should aim for?

Thanks!
Elizabeth