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Food ingredient · Sweetener (sugar)

Date syrup

A sweetener made from dates; counted as an added sugar when used to sweeten.

  • Added sugar or syrup
  • Expert review pending
High concern Level 3 of 4 How concern levels work

A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points date syrup costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Added sugarStrong evidence

    An added sugar. WHO strongly recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of energy; US guidelines say no amount of added sugars is recommended for a healthy diet. EFSA calls sugar a known cause of tooth decay and links sugary drinks to obesity and type 2 diabetes. [1][2][3]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Popular products that list date syrup

3 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list date syrup.

Diets and allergens

Vegan
Yes
Vegetarian
Yes
Gluten-free
Yes

For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.

Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (3)
  • date sugar
  • date syrup
  • date nectar

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu