McCormick Spice Date Codes
Historical reference — largely no longer applicable after 2020
Date Calculator for McCormick Culinary® Products Only
Instructions: Select the bottle type from the caption below and enter the 6 character production date code. Then press the Calculate button. If successfully calculated, the date will be shown at top of page in the green message line.
Which products does this calculator apply to?
McCormick grocery-store products have printed “best-by” or expiration dates and do not use this calculator. If a grocery-store bottle has no printed date, it was made before 2004, cannot be reliably dated and should be considered past its intended shelf life. That said, color, aroma, and taste are the best indicators of spice quality, but their detection varies from person to person. In the end, the proof of the flavor is in the finished dish.
This calculator is only for McCormick Culinary / Food Service products, which used coded production dates instead of printed dates until about 2020.
McCormick Culinary Package Indentification
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1990s Semi-Figure 8 Shaped with hand hold indentation on center of sides, top to bottom. This bottle was labeled with a 5 digit date code on the bottom. If you have this bottle it is old and should be discarded. |
2000-2009 (and 2010) Likely marked SETCO on bottom. Basically a square shaped bottle that is wider at the bottom and thinner at the top. Has an indentation on both sides for hand hold that is shaped similar to an unfinished pyramid (flat top) 1.5" w at top, 4"h and 2" wide at bottom. |
2009 to present Likely Marked SILGAN on bottom. McCormick began using this bottle in 2009, although some products continued distribution into 2010 using the bottle to the left. This bottle is wider front to back then side to side and has an arc shaped hand hold on the sides close to the front. |
| Dimensions: 7"h x 4"d x 2.75"w | Dimensions: 8"h x 3.5"d x 3"w (top is 3"w x 2.5"d). | Dimensions: 8"h 3.25"d x 2.5"w |
Bottle Type A |
Bottle Type B |
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How McCormick Food Service date codes work
McCormick Food Service, McCormick Culinary, and McCormick for Chefs products were designed for commercial kitchens and were marked with a production code (i.e. lot number) rather than a printed expiration date.
In commercial kitchens spices are typically used quickly rather than stored for years. For this reason, these products were marked with a production code that includes the manufacturing plant and the date of production. The year is represented by a single character and does not include the decade, so for older products the decade must be determined by the style and era of the packaging itself.
Once you have identified your bottle type, you can use the above McCormick Expiration Date Form to get that actual production date, – or – use the table below to determine just the correct production year.
Table of Converted Production Years
You may quickly determine year of production by looking at the table below:
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First Digit of Production Code |
Bottle Type A | Bottle Type B |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2005 | 2015 |
| 1 | 2006 | 2016 |
| 2 | 2007 | 2017 |
| 3 | 2008 | 2018 |
| 4 | 2009 | 2009 or 2019 |
| 5 | 2010 | 2010 or 2020 |
| 6 | 2001 | 2011 |
| 7 | 2002 | 2012 |
| 8 | 2003 | 2013 |
| 9 | 2004 | 2014 |
General Guidelines on the Best By Use Date of Herbs, Spices and Seasonings
Generally, herbs and spices do not go bad or get rancid. However, the amount of flavor and aroma can decay over time. Below are general guidelines on how long herbs and spices will retain their best flavor and aroma. Depending on your taste preferences you may be able to use spices long after the below time frames. Note: McCormick products have not been packaged in metal tins for more than 25 years, with the exception of black pepper. Current packaging uses non-metal containers that seal better to protect freshness and quality.
| Product Type | Use Within |
|---|---|
| Spices, Ground | 2 to 3 years |
| Spices, Whole | 3 to 4 years |
| Seasoning Blends | 1 to 2 years |
| Herbs | 1 to 3 years |
| Extracts (except vanilla) | 4 years |
| Vanilla Extract | Indefinitely |
McCormick Culinary® is a registered Trademark of McCormick and Company, Inc., Hunt Valley, MD 21031 USA
