Instead of a customary biscuit or a chocolate bar to combat the 4pm slump, people are reaching for a more natural sweet alternative: dates. The sweet fruit has been thrust into the snacking spotlight by a combination of viral recipes on social media, growing awareness about fibre intake and increasing demand for alternatives to ultra-processed foods. At Ocado, sales of medjool dates are up 100% year-on-year while searches for date butter and chocolate dates have increased by 458% and 135% respectively. Nichola Ludlam-Raine, the author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed and a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said the trend tapped into a growing shift towards “whole food indulgence”. While people still wanted comforting snacks they were seeking versions “perceived as more natural or nutrient dense”. Dates with a caramel-like texture and nutritional benefits such as “fibre, potassium, magnesium and small amounts of antioxidants, which can help support gut health” satisfied those demands, she said. Dates paired with peanut butter and dark chocolate were being hailed by snackers as an alternative to confectionery …