There’s a way to tell whether the eggs you buy are covered by the 2010 egg recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Look on the end of the carton or on the case label. You’ll see a date and some codes. For example, the codes might look like this: P-1720 223.

The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The date follows the plant number. The date is in Julian format, which means it’s a number corresponding to the order of the day in the year. For example, the Julian date for December 31 is 365.

The recall has been expanded since it was first announced. As of August 20, 2010,  the FDA says:

“Shell eggs under the August 13, 2010 recall are packaged under the brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps. Shell eggs are packed in 6-egg cartons, 12-egg cartons, 18-egg cartons, and loose eggs with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 225 and plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946.

“Recalled shell eggs affected by the expanded recall are packaged under the brand names: Albertsons, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Glenview, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma, Lund, Kemps and Pacific Coast. Eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg, 12-egg, and18-egg cartons, and loose eggs for institutional use and repackaging) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1720 and 1942.”

For the FDA’s August 19 statement, see: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm223248.htm

For the latest from FDA on the egg recall, visit www.fda.gov.