Eggs are one of the most versatile foods in existence, but have you ever noticed that each one bears its own unique code?
If you've never spotted it, take a look at an egg's shell before you crack it and you'll notice that it sports a specific symbol and a series of letters and numbers.
While many like to joke that chickens are responsible for printing these codes when they lay their eggs, they are actually etched on by manufacturers - and for good reason. Despite being used for decades, people are still learning what these "egg codes" mean.
After making the discovery, one person felt compelled to share what they had learned online. Posting a breakdown of each codes meaning on Reddit, they wrote: "Well I never knew this about the 'Egg Code'".
According to the image, the first number indicates how the egg was farmed. The guide states that 0=organic, 1= free range, 2=barn and 3=cage. So for this particular egg, we know that the chicken who laid it was cage raised.
Beside that will be the egg's country of origin, in this case, it was produced in the UK. This is followed by whats known as the farm Id - a "specific code denoting the actual farm where the eggs were produced".
Under this lies the best before date, which will display the very last day that the egg can be eaten before going off. Finally, any British egg that is branded with a lion symbol means it has been produced within strict safety guidelines.
The Lion Mark represents the egg safety scheme introduced back in 1998 to reduce cases of salmonella food poisoning caused by eggs. The sign means that the egg was laid by a hen that's fully vaccinated against the bacteria.
Reddit is a platform that allows members to chat online over shared interests, but it's also a wealth of obscure facts. Recently, a Greggs allowed users to ask them any bakery related questions and the markings used to recognise the different kind of bakes.
The employee also took the opportunity to explain the little known reason that their pastries are sometimes served cold.
A car expert took to the site to debunk a commonly used petrol pump hack, which they revealed to be useless when it comes to saving on fuel costs.
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