Which Julian date represents the oldest product?

The Julian date system represents days of the year sequentially, with each day assigned a unique number from 001 to 365 (or 001 to 366 in a leap year). In this system, a lower number indicates an earlier point in the year, while a higher number signifies a later date.

In this context, the Julian date 031 corresponds to the 31st day of the year, which is January 31st. This date is significantly earlier than the other Julian dates provided.

For comparison, 124 represents the 124th day of the year (which falls around May 4th), and 256 corresponds to the 256th day (approximately September 13th). Therefore, since 031 is the smallest number among the options, it indicates the oldest product in terms of production or packaging date. Thus, the choice indicating 031 as the oldest product is accurate based on this sequential dating system.