I was recently writing an ethical piece for emel and came across some particularly disheartening facts, which I thought I’d share.

• Israeli date exports grew by 20% in 2010, generating annual revenues of $60m
• Most of these revenues came from the UK market in the month of Ramadhan
• A high proportion of these exported dates were grown on occupied farmland in the West Bank and Jordan Valley, so buyers unknowingly assumed they were Palestinian produce
• The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture projects that in the next decade, the date sector will become one of its top agricultural sectors.

So how do we combat this? It’s quite simple really. In the words of Mad-Eye Moody, it requires “constant vigilance!”  It’s just about checking the label to see where the dates you buy/have been given, come from. And if you’re not sure, it’s better to err on the side of caution. You needn’t worry about this being to the detriment of genuine Palestinian farmers. For example, Yaffa and Zaytoun are two certified providers of authentic Palestinian dates, so you can be sure that the dates you break your fast with aren’t funding the occupation.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.foa.org.uk/campaigns/check-the-label

http://www.zaytoun.org/

www.yaffa.co.uk