McCormick Spice Date Codes
Date Calculator on the McCormick Web Site is for Consumer Products Only
This is a Historical Page and mostly no longer applies since 2020
Since McCormick's consumer products sold in grocery stores have had expiration dates on them since 2004, the calculator on the McCormick web site will not work on food service packaging. If you are trying to determine the age of a McCormick product purchased in a grocery store and it does not have an expiration date or a best by date, it was made prior to 2004 and should be discarded.
For the products we sell at Spice Place, you must use the method described below for McCormick food service products.
About Food Service, McCormick Culinary and McCormick for Chefs Date Codes
Unlike McCormick consumer division products, which began printing expiration dates on products in 2004, most of the McCormick Food Service, McCormick Culinary and McCormick for Chefs products are not labeled with expiration dates. This is because the intended customer base of these items are food service facilities which will often use up a single bottle of spices within a few days or weeks.
McCormick Food Service, Culinary and McCormick for Chefs products are coded with a production date and plant code which can be used to determine the date of production. Note that the production date only contains a single character for year not a decade of production. So it is necessary to determine the decade by looking at the packaging as well.
In the table below are 3 different bottles of McCormick Food Service packaging. You're interested in the shape of the bottle and not the label (which varied over time as McCormick changed artwork).
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1990s Semi-Figure 8 Shaped with hand hold indentation on center of sides, top to bottom. Dimensions: 7"h x 4"d x 2.75"w 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) Basically a square shaped bottle that is wider at the bottom and thiner at the top. Dimensions: 8"h x 3.5"d x 3"w (top is 3"w x 2.5"d). 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. Bottle Type A |
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: 8"h 3.25"d x 2.5"w Bottle Type B |
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 or 2025 |
| 1 | 2006 | 2016 or 2026 |
| 2 | 2007 | 2017 or 2027 |
| 3 | 2008 | 2018 or 2028 |
| 4 | 2009 | 2009 or 2019 |
| 5 | 2010 | 2010 or 2020 |
| 6 | 2001 | 2011 or 2021 |
| 7 | 2002 | 2012 or 2022 |
| 8 | 2003 | 2013 or 2023 |
| 9 | 2004 | 2014 or 2024 |
McCormick Production Date Calculator
Select the bottle type from the caption above 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.
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.
| 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 |
