# Weird numbers on fast food sauce packets

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 8, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892 "2002-05-08T14:02:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892/1 "2002-05-08T14:02:37Z")

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(more of a GQ but food related so Café)

I was sitting at home last night calmly solving particle physics problem, resolving tensions in the middle east, giving advice to Alan Greenspan, and dealing with other matters of cosmic importance when I suddenly noticed these [mysterious little numbers](http://www.camppioneer.org/images/ArbyMystery.jpg) on the bottom of packets of Arby Sauce. I though to myself, alas a mystery worthy of Scooby Doo! Does anyone know what these numbers mean? Are they month of manufacture, production run numbers, secret codes from the Illuminati? What is the **Straight Dope**?

NP: **Misfits** - _Walk Among Us_

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892/2 "2002-05-08T15:56:20Z")

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If you got all of those at the same time, I’d say that either rules out anykind of date code. My logic here is that the only reason I can think of for keeping track of a date would be to ensure fresh stock, and that range is pretty wide, it seems to me.

If I had to bet, I’d say it was something like a batch number, maybe just which manufacturing plant or line they came from.

I’d agree with your first instinct, though. This would probably have gotten more responses in **GQ**.

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**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892/3 "2002-05-08T16:10:49Z")

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Moved to GQ, and title edited for greater clarity.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892/4 "2002-05-08T21:01:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \*  
> I’d agree with your first instinct, though. This would probably have gotten more responses in **GQ**.

Okay, so I was wrong. 😉

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**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-numbers-on-fast-food-sauce-packets/107892/5 "2002-05-08T22:14:04Z")

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Possibly an inspector number, like the “Inspected by: 12” you find in some clothes.