Unboxed: 9 brands that find natural sweetness with dates

Whether in starring roles or as supporting actors in any number of sweet or savory foods, dates continue to make a sweet impression.

Adrienne Smith, Director of Content

August 13, 2019

9 Slides
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With the growing vilification of sugar in recent years and the popularity of low-sugar diets and lifestyles, it’s no secret that brands continue to search for new and different ways to give consumers their sweet fix—the more natural, the better. Enter dates, the fruit of the palm tree that has been enjoyed for its sweet and yielding flesh since ancient times, and that is once again being embraced not only for its sweetness, but also as a good source of fiber, antioxidants and a range of vitamins and minerals.

Dates put on a strong showing at Expo West this year, both on their own and as ingredients in a variety of formats and products ranging from savory to sweet, as well as in a number of different categories—a trend that we expect will continue to grow at Expo East 2019.

Here are some of the date-ful products that have caught our eye so far this year, and some others that we look forward to tasting in Baltimore next month. Another bonus? Many of the brands we’ve seen use organic dates.

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Unboxed

About the Author

Adrienne Smith

Director of Content, New Hope Network

Adrienne Smith is the director of content for newhope.com and the editor-in-chief of Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine where she helps ideate and produce content for natural products retailers, brands and entrepreneurs. She also runs the NEXTY Awards, an annual program held in conjunction with Natural Products Expo West that recognizes emerging and established natural CPG brands for their innovation, inspiration and integrity.

Before coming to New Hope Network, Adrienne spent two decades writing about food and beverage products and trends for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Trade in Madrid, Spain, as well as for publications including the International Herald Tribune/New York Times and El País. A former restaurant owner, chef and sommelier, Adrienne is passionate about food in all its forms.

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