What to do when you cannot see a batch code

Not finding a code immediately does not give you permission to substitute a different number. A barcode or shade name may look more legible, but it answers a different question.

Try this order

• Check the original carton, then the product itself in good light.
• Look for printing that is stamped, etched, or pressed into the material.
• Compare every short reference you find with the selected brand before entering it.
• If there is still no candidate, keep the packaging details and ask the manufacturer.

Do not manufacture certainty

A missing code may have a mundane explanation, but it does not let a checker infer a date from a product barcode. An honest unknown is more useful than a date built from the wrong string.

See the identifiers commonly mistaken for a code →

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