Uttar Pradesh mandates production and expiry-date stamping on eggs from April 1
India’s Uttar Pradesh government will require egg producers to print both production and expiry dates on each egg from April 1. The policy also sets temperature-based consumption windows, food-grade ink rules, and enforcement for unstamped eggs.
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh said eggs sold in the state must carry both a production date and an expiry date starting April 1, 2026. The announcement was made in Lucknow and framed as a consumer-transparency measure, with officials comparing egg labeling clarity to the way medicines display production and expiry information. The report was published by The Economic Times, citing PTI.
Mukesh Meshram, Additional Chief Secretary in the Animal Husbandry department, said producers will be required to stamp each egg with both dates. That turns date marking into a standard compliance step for the state’s poultry supply chain, from farm-level handling to distribution and retail sale, where buyers can directly verify freshness information on the shell.
Officials also specified storage-related consumption guidance tied to those dates. Eggs held at ambient conditions around 30°C should be consumed within two weeks from the laying date. Eggs stored under refrigeration at 2°C to 8°C can be consumed within five weeks from laying. The policy therefore links shelf-life communication and storage practice in one traceable format.
Baleshwar Verma, a poultry farm owner in Sitapur district, told PTI the decision was taken at a recent meeting chaired by Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Deepak Kumar. Verma said his farm has already used an egg-stamping machine for about one and a half years, but earlier the stamp included only the farm name rather than production and expiry dates.
On implementation and cost, Verma said stamping machines are already available in the market and the consumer price impact should be limited, estimating a maximum cost of about 6 paise per egg for stamping. He added that food-grade ink will be used. According to him, instructions indicate pink ink for eggs stored at normal temperature and blue ink for eggs kept in cold storage.
The report also says eggs without stamps will be treated as unfit for consumption and destroyed. That makes labeling an enforceable market condition rather than a voluntary quality signal. For the poultry segment, the move is notable because it combines consumer-facing freshness data, temperature-specific handling guidance, and a clear compliance consequence for non-labeled product.