Americans are ditching ultra-processed snacks for a popular ancient fruit

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Jun 08, 2026 · 486 words · By Fox News

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What to know about Americans are ditching ultra-processed snacks for a popular ancient fruit

Americans are ditching ultra-processed snacks for a popular ancient fruit By Teresa Mull , Fox News Published June 8, 2026, 11:25 a.m.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Americans are ditching ultra-processed snacks for a popular ancient fruit By Teresa Mull , Fox News Published June 8, 2026, 11:25 a.m.

Why it matters

ET See more of our coverage in your search results.

Common ground

Add The New York Post on GoogleOne of human history’s oldest-cultivated foods is having a moment as more people reach for healthier alternatives to ultra-processed foods.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Americans are ditching ultra-processed snacks for a popular ancient fruit?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Health benefits of dates, according to the Cleveland Clinic, include improved gut health, better brain function, healthier skin, and a lowered risk of several diseases?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/lifestyle/americans-are-ditching-ultra-processed-s…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Health benefits of dates, according to the Cleveland Clinic, include improved gut health, better brain function, healthier skin, and a lowered risk of several diseases.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm that dates support gut health, brain function, and skin health. While the provided Wikipedia entries confirm the existence of the Cleveland Clinic, the specific attribution to the Clinic is supported by the thematic consistency across the health-focused web results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cleveland Clinic is an American nonprofit academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation, Cleveland Clinic was f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (Arabic: كليفلاند كلينك أبوظبي, CCAD) is a hospital located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has 364 beds. The hospital opened in May 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic_Abu_Dhabi

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cleveland Clinic Akron General formerly known as Akron General Medical Center, and commonly known as Akron Gen, is a nationally ranked, 511-bed non-profit, teaching hospital located in Akron, Ohio. Cl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic_Akron_General

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “In the U.K., sales of medjool dates have increased 100% at U.K. grocery retailer Ocado compared to last year”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim appears in the same set of news reports as claims 0 and 1, but the other provided evidence for this specific claim (Wikipedia/WebMD) discusses the fruit generally and does not mention Ocado's 100% increase.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Medjool date (Arabic: تمر المجهول - tamar al-majhūl. Tamar means 'date' and majhūl means 'unknown', from جَهِلَ jahila, 'to not know') [1][2] also known as Medjoul, Mejhoul or Majhool, is a large,…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medjool

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web search NEUTRAL — Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as the date palm, [2] is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the region from the Gulf States to India. [3] It is cultivated for its ed…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_palm

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 14, 2025 · Medjool dates are good for you. They may boost energy, aid digestion, and offer antioxidants for better health.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/medjool-dates-health-benefits

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Claim 3: “Sales of dates in the U.S. were up 33% in 2025”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Fox News and another news report) explicitly state that date sales in the US are up 33%.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgia ( JOR-jə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic, and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina and South Carolina to the northeas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four major championships, and is on the offic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Open_(golf)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “The Middle East and Africa still dominate the demand for dates and accounted for 85.28% of the market share in 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided includes a report on the date palm market growing to $13.4 billion and a report on Kelly Drives market share (13.7%), but nothing confirming the specific 85.28% market share for Middle East and Africa in 2025.

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web search NEUTRAL — A separate Future Market Insights report estimates the broader date palm market will grow from $9.5 billion in 2025 to $13.4 billion by 2035. Dried dates currently account for 42.6% of the market, whi…
https://swikblog.com/americans-turn-to-dates-healthier-alter…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Middle East and Africa accounted for 13.7% of global market value, reflecting ongoing crude oil exploration programs across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Gulf of Mexico satellite fields, and sub-Saharan Afri…
https://dataintelo.com/report/global-onshore-and-offshore-ke…

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web search NEUTRAL — Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yLrpB9qVzM

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Claim 5: “By 2034, the market size for dates in America is projected to reach $1.6 billion.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources (including Fox News and an opinion piece citing Fortune Business Insights) confirm the projection that the U.S. date market will reach $1.6 billion by 2034.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Muslims typically break their Ramadan fasts with dates, according to Brandeis University.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Wikipedia, TikTok, and a news report on interfaith dinners) confirm the tradition of Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast with dates.

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web search NEUTRAL — Ramadan. Men breaking their fast during iftar in Dubai's Grand Mosque.Common greetings during Ramadan include Ramadan mubarak and Ramadan kareem, which mean (have a) "blessed Ramadan" and "generous Ra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

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web search NEUTRAL — Muslims eat dates during Ramadan to break their fast at Iftar, and as part of Sahoor (Pre dawn meal). Dates are a traditional food during Ramadan and are considered a blessed fruit.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/do-muslims-eat-on-ramading

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web search NEUTRAL — During Ramadan, observers traditionally use dates to break their fasts which occur from sunrise and sunset.Interfaith fast-breaking dinners connect San Antonians across religious lines during Ramadan.
https://sanantonioreport.org/interfaith-fast-breaking-dinner…

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Claim 7: “Date types are divided into three main categories: soft, semi-dry, and dry.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

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Claim 8: “Historians believe ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia were cultivating dates as early as 6,000 to 8,000 years ago.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (Facebook and a WordPress blog) confirm cultivation in Mesopotamia dating back to 4,000 BC or 6,000-8,000 years ago.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — By around 9500 BC, the eight Neolithic founder crops – emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chickpeas, and flax – were ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 2, 2025 ... Dates originated in the Middle East and North Africa, with cultivation in ancient Mesopotamia dating back to at least 4000 BC. They are ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/7462062260516399/posts/98096…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 26, 2018 ... Its cultivation dates back to around 6000-8000 years ago in Mesopotamia, which is around modern day Iraq. Its popularity grew with the ...
https://cultureofarabfood.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/dates-fru…

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Claim 9: “The average date contains about 15 grams of natural sugar”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

verified

Claim 10: “Globally, the market size for dates is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 6.1%, going from $34.5 billion in 2026 to $55.58 billion in 2034”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of unrelated data about world population, vertical positioners, and data centers in India. No evidence regarding the global date market CAGR or specific billion-dollar projections was found in the provided results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Hathaway

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a subset of outsourcing in which a company contracts the operations and responsibilities of a specific business process to a third-party service provider. BPO of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_outsourcing

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — India has a growing data centre industry. Data centres are used for national security, internet infrastructure, and economic output. As of 2024, India's data centre capacity is at 950 MW, which is exp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centre_industry_in_India

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.