Medjool dates
Checked by us One serving: 40 g · 111 kcal
Little of the nutrients we score, per serving.
Nothing to watch so far.
Good for
How we counted this
What one serving (40 g) gives you.
Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.
The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share. ?
A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.
No nutrient we score reaches “some” in one serving. The rest, at “a little” or less, is below.
21 more nutrients at a little or less
- A little
Potassium
Your nerves, muscles and kidneys need it to work.
Learn more
278 mg in one serving: 8% of the 3,400 mg a day men need, 11% of the 2,600 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, potassium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin B6
Helps you use protein, and your brain needs it to make its chemical messengers.
Learn more
0.1 mg in one serving: 8% of the 1.3 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B6 fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Fibre
Keeps your gut moving.
Learn more
2.68 g in one serving: 7% of the 38 g a day men need, 11% of the 25 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- A little
Magnesium
Your muscles and nerves need it to work.
Learn more
21.6 mg in one serving: 5% of the 400 mg a day men need, 7% of the 310 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)
More than 400 of your enzymes need it to work.
Learn more
0.69 mg in one serving: 4% of the 16 mg a day men need, 5% of the 14 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, niacin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Calcium
Builds your bones and teeth.
Learn more
25.6 mg in one serving: 3% of the 1,000 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, calcium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Selenium
Your thyroid uses it to make its hormones.
Learn more
1.2 µg in one serving: 2% of the 55 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Iron
Carries oxygen in your blood.
Learn more
0.36 mg in one serving: 5% of the 8 mg a day men need, 2% of the 18 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, iron fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Riboflavin (B2)
Your cells use it to make energy and handle fats. It also helps turn tryptophan into niacin and activate vitamin B6.
Learn more
0.02 mg in one serving: 2% of the 1.3 mg a day men need, 2% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, riboflavin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Thiamin (B1)
Your cells use it to get energy from food, and so to grow and work.
Learn more
0.02 mg in one serving: 2% of the 1.2 mg a day men need, 2% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, thiamin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Zinc
Your immune system and healing wounds depend on it.
Learn more
0.18 mg in one serving: 2% of the 11 mg a day men need, 2% of the 8 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, zinc fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Folate
Your body needs it to make DNA and to divide new cells.
Learn more
6 µg in one serving: 2% of the 400 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, folate fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
Learn more
0.72 g in one serving: 1% of the 56 g a day men need, 2% of the 46 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- Almost none
Vitamin K1
Your blood needs it to clot.
Learn more
1.08 µg in one serving: 1% of the 120 µg a day men need, 1% of the 90 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin K fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Choline
Your cells need it for their membranes, and to make acetylcholine, a messenger for memory, mood and muscle control.
Learn more
3.96 mg in one serving: 1% of the 550 mg a day men need, 1% of the 425 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, choline fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin A
Your eyes need it to see in dim light.
Learn more
Getting enough matters; more than enough doesn’t sharpen your sight.
2.8 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 900 µg a day men need, under 1% of the 700 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin A fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: ALA
The one omega-3 your body can’t make: it must come from food. Your cells build it into their membranes and burn it for energy.
Learn more
1.2 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 1,600 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 1,100 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: EPA + DHA
Long-chain omega-3s, built into your cell membranes. DHA is concentrated in your brain and retinas.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 250 mg a day.
Health Canada sets no daily amount for these fats, so the daily figure here is the European Food Safety Authority’s.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin B12
Your body needs it to make red blood cells and keep nerves working.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 2.4 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin C
Your body makes collagen with it, which wounds need to heal. It also helps you absorb iron from plants.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 90 mg a day men need, under 1% of the 75 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin D
Your body needs it to absorb calcium and keep your bones hard.
Learn more
Your skin also makes it in sunlight, so food is only one of its sources.
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 15 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals
Missing from our databases for this food, so left out, not counted as zero: vitamin E.
Watch out
How we counted this
Cadmium
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 2.3 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to use up what an average adult’s intake leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 3.16 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 18% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 84% of the limit.
An average adult already takes in about 71% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 2,200 g a week would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 280 g a week, which stays within the 650 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
A daily serving adds 18% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap.
Checked for aflatoxins, lead and ochratoxin A: fine at normal amounts.
Aflatoxins
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 11 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the aflatoxins an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 0.6–9.2% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 1.42 ng (AFB1)
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe level of aflatoxin B1 is set (EFSA 2020 benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) 0.4 µg/kg body weight/day), so there is no grams figure. The EFSA mean for dried dates is 0.03557 µg/kg lower bound (229 results, 96.07% non-detects), so a 40 g serving carries 1.42 ng (0.0203 ng/kg body weight/day), a margin of exposure of about 19,700. On the upper bound (0.2565 µg/kg, which gives every non-detect the quantification limit) the margin is about 2,700, where EFSA treats under 10,000 as of concern. Canadian retail testing found no aflatoxin in 50 date samples, with no detection limit stated; average background intake was not compared.
Lead
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 56 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the lead an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 1.8% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 0.64 µg
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe level of lead is set, so there is no grams figure; the rating rests on what a serving adds to average intake. A 40 g serving at 0.016 µg/g carries 0.64 µg, about 1.8% of an average adult's 35 µg/day; the worst sample (0.118 mg/kg) would give 4.7 µg, 13%. The data are 84 Moroccan date samples (lead detected in 39, one above the Codex limit of 0.10 mg/kg), and the abstract does not say whether the average covers all samples or only positives.
Ochratoxin A
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the ochratoxin A an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 0.1–0.3% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 0.36 ng (OTA)
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe level of ochratoxin A is set (EFSA 2020 benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) 14.5 µg/kg body weight/day, kidney tumours in rats), so there is no grams figure. The CFIA lower-bound mean is 0.008895 ng/g (57 samples, 7 detects), so a 40 g serving carries 0.356 ng (0.0051 ng/kg body weight/day), about 0.13–0.30% of EFSA's lower-bound adult mean exposure (1.68 to 3.84 ng/kg body weight/day); the highest sample (0.12 ng/g) would give 4.8 ng, about 4%. A separate study of 19 palm dates found one sample at 0.75 µg/kg, which in a 40 g serving is 30 ng, about 11–26%.
For some people
Measured, not rated: 3.2 mg oxalate
Learn more
We haven’t rated this food for oxalate. We count only a figure that comes from a grade A or B source and says it was measured per 100 g of the food as eaten, and none of the figures here does both.
How we got this
Not rated: no agency sets an oxalate intake limit; this is information for people who form calcium-oxalate stones. A patient-foundation list gives 8 mg/100 g for chopped dates, so a 40 g serving carries 3.2 mg, low on the list's own scale (under 25 mg a serving). Cultivar and method are not given.
Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation. Oxalate list (022724), 2024 · grade C
Worth knowing
No limit applies, so none is rated.
Sugar
27 g of sugar in a 40 g serving, natural and added together.
Learn more
Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.
Also checked (nothing to act on) · 3
Noted for context, or not measured in this food yet.
Shown as context, not rated: no limit is applied to pesticide residues here. CFIA screened imported dates only 5 times (2016–17 and 2019–20), with 0 positives and 0 violations, which is too few to say anything about prevalence.
Shown as context, not rated: this matters for people on a potassium-restricted diet, such as advanced kidney disease. Medjool dates carry 696 mg/100 g (USDA), so a 40 g serving has 278 mg, high for its weight (dried cranberries: 49 mg/100 g); deglet noor is 656 mg/100 g.
Not measured in this food yet. Not rated: sulphites are a priority allergen, a person-specific risk with no dose rating. CFIA found none in 40 imported dates (positives only in cherimoya, longan, lychee and tamarind), and results at or below 10 ppm are treated as unreliable. Dried fruit in general is a known source, so a sulphured dried date would need a label check.
Better options
How we counted this
“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.
Every amount below is for the same weight, 40 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.
The same thing, fewer calories
Celery, raw6 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
Carrots, raw18 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat24 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
More nutrients per serving, counted together
The other snacks or sweets we’ve checked with more nutrients per serving than this one, counting at most 100 kcal. One score ranks them all, so the same few often lead.
- Greek yogurt, plain, nonfatMore vitamin B12 (0.3 µg vs 0 µg)
Pumpkin seeds- More magnesium (200 mg vs 21.6 mg)
- More niacin (5.83 mg vs 0.69 mg)
- More zinc (2.54 mg vs 0.18 mg)
- Carrots, rawMore vitamin A (334 µg vs 2.8 µg)
Where the calcium card measured that less calcium gets in than from milk, calcium counts for less; everything else is as listed.
Your goal
Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.
Losing weight: fewer calories, and more nutrients, protein and fibre for each calorie.
- Celery, raw6 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
- Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat
- 24 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
- More vitamin B12 (0.3 µg vs 0 µg)
- Carrots, raw
- 18 kcal in 40 g (this food: 111)
- More vitamin A (334 µg vs 2.8 µg)
Building muscle: more protein and more calories, per 100 g.
Raisins3.3 g protein · 299 kcal per 100 g- Pumpkin seeds29.9 g protein · 515 kcal per 100 g
Cashews, raw17.4 g protein · 533 kcal per 100 g
Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.
The numbers
Open every value
Name in the database: Dates, Medjool
How the serving was set: 40 g (Health Canada TRA J.7, dried fruit, including raisins, cranberries, apricots, prunes, dates, figs); about 2 Medjool dates
Listed nutrients, per 100 g
For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3: ALA | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Calcium | 64 mg | 25.6 mg | 23.1 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| 64 mg | 25.6 mg | 23.1 mg | copy of USDA · not used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #5401 | C | |
| Carbohydrate | 74.97 g | 29.99 g | 27.06 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Choline | 9.9 mg | 3.96 mg | 3.57 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Energy | 277 kcal | 110.8 kcal | – | FDC Energy (kcal) used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) | – |
| Omega-3: EPA + DHA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fat | 0.15 g | 0.06 g | 0.05 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.032 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fibre | 6.7 g | 2.68 g | 2.42 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Folate | 15 µg | 6 µg | 5.42 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 0.36 mg | 0.32 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Magnesium | 54 mg | 21.6 mg | 19.49 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents) | 1.727 mg | 0.69 mg | 0.62 mg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #5401 | C |
| Phosphorus | 62 mg | 24.8 mg | 22.38 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Potassium | 696 mg | 278.4 mg | 251.26 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Protein | 1.81 g | 0.72 g | 0.65 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.06 mg | 0.02 mg | 0.02 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Selenium | 3 µg | 1.2 µg | 1.08 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0.4 mg | 0.36 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Sugars | 66.47 g | 26.59 g | 24 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.05 mg | 0.02 mg | 0.02 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin A | 7 µg | 2.8 µg | 2.53 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.249 mg | 0.1 mg | 0.09 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin K1 | 2.7 µg | 1.08 µg | 0.97 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Water | 21.32 g | 8.53 g | 7.7 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Zinc | 0.44 mg | 0.18 mg | 0.16 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | 89 µg | 35.6 µg | 32.13 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Copper | 0.362 mg | 0.14 mg | 0.13 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Ash | 1.74 g | 0.7 g | 0.63 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Sucrose | 0.53 g | 0.21 g | 0.19 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Glucose | 33.68 g | 13.47 g | 12.16 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Fructose | 31.95 g | 12.78 g | 11.53 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Maltose | 0.3 g | 0.12 g | 0.11 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Caffeine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Theobromine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Energy | 1,160 kj | 464 kj | 418.77 kj | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Galactose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin A, IU | 149 iu | 59.6 iu | 53.79 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Carotene, alpha | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0 iu | 0 iu | 0 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Tocopherol, beta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocopherol, gamma | 0.05 mg | 0.02 mg | 0.02 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocopherol, delta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocotrienol, alpha | 0.01 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocotrienol, beta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocotrienol, gamma | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Tocotrienol, delta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone) | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Folic acid | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Folate, food | 15 µg | 6 µg | 5.42 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Folate, DFE | 15 µg | 6 µg | 5.42 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Betaine | 0.4 mg | 0.16 mg | 0.14 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Tryptophan | 0.007 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Threonine | 0.042 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Isoleucine | 0.045 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Leucine | 0.082 g | 0.03 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Lysine | 0.054 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Methionine | 0.017 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Cystine | 0.046 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Phenylalanine | 0.048 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Tyrosine | 0.016 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Valine | 0.066 g | 0.03 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Arginine | 0.06 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Histidine | 0.029 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Alanine | 0.078 g | 0.03 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Aspartic acid | 0.22 g | 0.09 g | 0.08 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Glutamic acid | 0.265 g | 0.11 g | 0.1 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Glycine | 0.09 g | 0.04 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Proline | 0.111 g | 0.04 g | 0.04 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Serine | 0.062 g | 0.02 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Vitamin E, added | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| SFA 4:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 6:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 8:0 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 10:0 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 12:0 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 16:0 | 0.017 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 18:0 | 0.011 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 20:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 18:1 | 0.035 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0.016 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 22:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 14:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.036 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.019 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 15:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| SFA 17:0 | 0.001 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 20:2 n-6 c,c | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 n-6 c,c,c | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 17:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| PUFA 20:3 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| MUFA 15:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
| Lactose | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 23 µg | 9.2 µg | 8.3 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Manganese | 0.296 mg | 0.12 mg | 0.11 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Niacin (B3, preformed) | 1.61 mg | 0.64 mg | 0.58 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.805 mg | 0.32 mg | 0.29 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168191 | C |
| Retinol | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | from SR Legacy used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #171726 | C |
Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.
Hazard rows as the dataset rates them
- Aflatoxins · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe level of aflatoxin B1 is set (EFSA 2020 benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) 0.4 µg/kg body weight/day), so there is no grams figure. The EFSA mean for dried dates is 0.03557 µg/kg lower bound (229 results, 96.07% non-detects), so a 40 g serving carries 1.42 ng (0.0203 ng/kg body weight/day), a margin of exposure of about 19,700. On the upper bound (0.2565 µg/kg, which gives every non-detect the quantification limit) the margin is about 2,700, where EFSA treats under 10,000 as of concern. Canadian retail testing found no aflatoxin in 50 date samples, with no detection limit stated; average background intake was not compared. · EFSA 2020 · B
- Cadmium · Nothing to watch: under the limit · A daily serving adds 18% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap. · PubMed 38776020 · B
- Lead · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe level of lead is set, so there is no grams figure; the rating rests on what a serving adds to average intake. A 40 g serving at 0.016 µg/g carries 0.64 µg, about 1.8% of an average adult's 35 µg/day; the worst sample (0.118 mg/kg) would give 4.7 µg, 13%. The data are 84 Moroccan date samples (lead detected in 39, one above the Codex limit of 0.10 mg/kg), and the abstract does not say whether the average covers all samples or only positives. · PubMed 38776020 · B
- Ochratoxin A · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe level of ochratoxin A is set (EFSA 2020 benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL10) 14.5 µg/kg body weight/day, kidney tumours in rats), so there is no grams figure. The CFIA lower-bound mean is 0.008895 ng/g (57 samples, 7 detects), so a 40 g serving carries 0.356 ng (0.0051 ng/kg body weight/day), about 0.13–0.30% of EFSA's lower-bound adult mean exposure (1.68 to 3.84 ng/kg body weight/day); the highest sample (0.12 ng/g) would give 4.8 ng, about 4%. A separate study of 19 palm dates found one sample at 0.75 µg/kg, which in a 40 g serving is 30 ng, about 11–26%. · CFIA ochratoxin A survey (2012–2022) · A
- Oxalate for kidney-stone formers · Not rated yet · Not rated: no agency sets an oxalate intake limit; this is information for people who form calcium-oxalate stones. A patient-foundation list gives 8 mg/100 g for chopped dates, so a 40 g serving carries 3.2 mg, low on the list's own scale (under 25 mg a serving). Cultivar and method are not given. · Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation 2024 · C
- Pesticide residues · Context · Shown as context, not rated: no limit is applied to pesticide residues here. CFIA screened imported dates only 5 times (2016–17 and 2019–20), with 0 positives and 0 violations, which is too few to say anything about prevalence. · CFIA chemical residue monitoring (2016–2023) · C
- Potassium-restricted diets · Context · Shown as context, not rated: this matters for people on a potassium-restricted diet, such as advanced kidney disease. Medjool dates carry 696 mg/100 g (USDA), so a 40 g serving has 278 mg, high for its weight (dried cranberries: 49 mg/100 g); deglet noor is 656 mg/100 g. · US food database (USDA SR Legacy) · C
- Sulphites · Not rated yet · Not rated: sulphites are a priority allergen, a person-specific risk with no dose rating. CFIA found none in 40 imported dates (positives only in cherimoya, longan, lychee and tamarind), and results at or below 10 ppm are treated as unreliable. Dried fruit in general is a known source, so a sulphured dried date would need a label check. · CFIA 2015–2019 · B
Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements
- fodmap excess fructose: derived, Medjool: fructose 31.95 minus glucose 33.68 = -1.73 g/100 g (glucose exceeds fructose, no excess fructose). Deglet noor dates (FDC 171726): 19.56 minus 19.87 = -0.31, also none. Sorbitol, mannitol, fructan and GOS in dates: no measured value found. g/100 g · as sold · as sold (Medjool, SR Legacy) · grade B · US food database (USDA SR Legacy)
Sources
- CFIA, National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program, Annex B results summaries 2016-17 to 2022-23, Table B-1 domestic and B-2 imported (open.canada.ca datasets 95a14ca0, c87af563, a2ea8989, 9e5211c8, a5cb7c3c, 6567ac46, cf149850); positives-only means, no detection limits stated; pooled by us
cfia-ncrmp-annex-b-2016-2023· dataset · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright) - CFIA, Food Safety Action Plan Targeted Survey - Ochratoxin A in Selected Foods, 2012-2018 and 2019-2022
cfia-ota-2012-2022· dataset · Open Government Licence - Canada 2.0 (as for the other CFIA datasets; not checked on this page) - CFIA, Sulphites in selected foods, 2015 to 2019 (report PDF)
cfia-sulphites-2015-2019· secondary source · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright) - Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition)
cnf-2026· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - EFSA (2020) Annexes to the risk assessment of aflatoxins in food, Annex B (occurrence tables), Zenodo · doi:10.5281/zenodo.3607186
efsa-2020-aflatoxins-annex· dataset · CC BY 4.0 - USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018-04
fdc-sr-legacy-2018-04· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation. Oxalate list (022724), 2024
ohf-oxalate-list-2024· full text read · copyright OHF - El Youssfi M et al. Monitoring and Health Risk Assessment of Lead and Cadmium in Date Palm Fruit Cultivars Growing in Morocco. Biol Trace Elem Res 2025 · doi:10.1007/s12011-024-04242-0 · PMID 38776020
pmid:38776020· abstract only · licence not recorded
Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.
The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.
The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.
Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.