What do the codes on food packages mean?
Three small codes tell you more than the brand on the front: which plant made your meat, which dairy filled your milk, and whether your fruit is organic.
Who makes Great Value, Kirkland or Trader Joe's food? Store-brand makers named in recall notices →
Looking for the lot number or batch code for a recall? Where to find the lot number on food and products →
“Packed by”, “Distributed by” and the plant that made it
The name and address on a label do not have to be the factory. U.S. rules allow the label to name the manufacturer, the packer or the distributor; when the company named did not make the product, the name is qualified with words like “Manufactured for”, “Packed for” or “Distributed by” (FDA: 21 CFR 101.5; USDA meat and poultry: 9 CFR 317.2 and 381.122).
The plant itself is shown by the code: on meat and poultry the establishment number in the USDA mark, on Grade “A” milk the plant code. That is why recall notices quote the establishment number: it is the one detail that identifies the affected plant, no matter which brand is on the front.
Store brand or name brand?
Store brands (private labels) are usually made by outside manufacturers. The plant code shows who made a store-brand product, and two products under different brands with the same plant code come from the same plant. The code does not tell you whether the recipe is the same.
From the grocery side
I run an independent supermarket in southern Germany. The labels and codes are different there, but store brands work much the same way. Here is what that means for reading a US package.
- The retailer writes the spec, someone else makes it. A store brand is a contract: the chain sets the recipe, pack size and price, and a manufacturer produces it. That manufacturer is often a company that also sells its own brand, sometimes from the same line in the same plant.
- The supplier can change. Store-brand contracts are put out to tender and renewed. The same store-brand product can come from a different plant next year, or from two plants at once for different regions. Go by the code on the package in your hand, not by a list online or what you bought last time.
- Same plant does not mean same product. A plant can run the name brand and the store brand with different recipes, meat cuts or fat content. A matching code tells you where it was made, not that it is identical.
- “Distributed by” or “Packed for” names the seller, not the maker. On store brands that line is almost always the retailer. The plant code is the only reliable pointer to the factory.
- In a recall the code decides. Stores pull product by plant, lot and date. If the plant code, lot and dates on your package match the notice, it is affected even when the brand name looks different. If they do not match, it is not part of that recall.
Recent recalls that name a plant
- FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Meat and Poultry Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens
Plant: EST. 3177 BETTERBALLEN FOODS LLC, Greer, SC
- Fontanini Foods LLC Recalls Raw, Frozen Pork Sausage Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Plant: EST. 6944 Fontanini Foods, LLC, McCook, IL
- City Foods, Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Pastrami and Corned Beef Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination
Plant: EST. 1896 City Foods, Inc./Bea's Best Corned Beef, Chicago, IL
- Ukrop's Homestyle Foods Recalls Spaghetti and Chicken Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination
Plant: EST. 19979 Ukrop's Homestyle Foods, North Chesterfield, VA
- FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Chicken Salad Product that May Be Contaminated with Listeria
Plant: EST. 40310 Mary's Harvest Fresh Foods, Inc., Portland, OR
- FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Steak Burrito Product Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergen
Plant: EST. 46069 RED'S ALL NATURAL, LLC., NORTH SIOUX CITY, SD
- FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for A Ready-To-Eat Beef Jerky Product Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergen
Plant: EST. 21827 GoodTimes Beef Jerky, Stratford, OK
- Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Pasta Salad Product Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens
Plant: EST. 1801 Reser's Fine Foods, Halifax, NC
Common questions
What does the USDA establishment number mean?
It identifies the plant where meat, poultry or egg products were produced or packed under USDA inspection. It is printed inside the round USDA mark as “EST.” (meat) or “P-” (poultry) plus the number. Look it up in the 8,199-plant FSIS directory.
Where is my milk from?
The code near the date on a Grade “A” milk carton, like 06-1234, names the plant: the first two digits are the state, the rest is the plant number on the FDA Interstate Milk Shippers List.
What does a PLU code starting with 9 mean?
A 5-digit PLU code that starts with 9 marks organic produce. A 4-digit code is conventionally grown.
Sources: USDA FSIS MPI Directory (Nov 3, 2026), FDA Interstate Milk Shippers List (Oct 1, 2026), IFPS PLU codes.