--- title: How food brands are combating climate change (really!) description: Paving the way towards a brighter, greener and more sustainable future, one date at a time. image: https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/IMG_8107.jpg --- [![Joolies California Superfruit](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_logo_tm11.png)](https://joolies.com/) - [Shop](https://joolies.com/collections/all) - [Find Us](https://joolies.com/pages/find-us) - [Recipes & More](https://blog.joolies.com/) - [Date-able Recipes](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/date-able-recipes) - [Company News](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/company-news) - [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) - [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) - [Our Dates](https://joolies.com/pages/our-dates) - [Sustainability](https://go.joolies.com/sustainability) - [Our Story](https://joolies.com/pages/our-story) - [Wholesale](https://go.joolies.com/wholesale) [![julies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Joolies_June_2019/Images/logo.svg)](https://joolies.com/) ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/Scree8oluynshot_111.png) # Date Book [All](https://blog.joolies.com/) [Date-able Recipes](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/date-able-recipes) [Company News](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/company-news) [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) # How food brands are combating climate change (really!) 6 Minute Read Tags: [Healthy Living](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/healthy-living) [Dates 101](https://blog.joolies.com/tag/dates-101) Written by [Abby](https://blog.joolies.com/author/abby) ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/IMG_8107.jpg) *Paving the way towards a brighter, greener and more sustainable future, one date at a time.* Don't Settle. Date Sustainably🌴 It may sound \*cheesy\* but at Joolies, everyday is Earth Day🌎 As a brand that holds sustainability at the heart of our mission, Earth month is especially important to us. You may wonder, "why is sustainability such a big deal in the food industry?" Let's get into it because taking care of our planet is really hot. ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/C11F374B-F798-475F-B4EE-1E81A1202532.jpg?width=2304&height=1536&name=C11F374B-F798-475F-B4EE-1E81A1202532.jpg) ## Greenhouse Gas Emissions The food industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, with transportation being the [top contributor](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions). The various stages involved in food production--livestock and crop production, processing, packaging, transportation, and disposal--all demand large quantities of energy and resources that have a negative impact on the environment. It's simple physics--for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (Newton's Third Law). When you take into account the emissions of each stage, the food system attributes roughly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, not all hope is lost because we can lead the shift to a more sustainable food future! According to a report by the Carbon Disclosure Project, food companies collectively saved over 600 MILLION metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2019 compared to their baseline year. What the heck does that even mean? Think of it like this: all that carbon dioxide saved equates to taking 131 MILLION cars off the road for a year. That's a lot of cars if you ask us! ## Other Environmental Impacts While greenhouse gas emissions is a main concern, the food system also contributes to deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss. Given the scale of these environmental impacts, it is crucial for food brands to take action to reduce their contribution to climate change. But in turn, we need *your *help by continuing to demand sustainable and environmentally-friendly products. We as brands cannot afford to ignore the potential risks of losing market share and damaging our reputations by turning a blind eye to the environmental impacts of our industry. ![organic medjool dates, regenerative agriculture](https://blog.joolies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/REGEN-AG.jpg?width=937&height=625&name=REGEN-AG.jpg) *See how short those newer date palm trees are? That's regenerative ag in action at the Joolies date farm! * ## The Sustainable Solution Food brands have a unique opportunity to drive positive changes throughout the supply chain. By embracing sustainable practices, promoting plant-based diets, and supporting eco-friendly technologies, food brands can make a huge impact on our planet. Imagine the difference it would make if they invested in [regenerative agriculture and renewable energy sources](https://blog.joolies.com/pre-harvest-farm-visit), reducing their carbon footprint and creating a more sustainable food system. In case you didn't know, the Joolies single-origin date farm has been championing regenerative ag since day 1! By implementing regenerative agriculture, we're not only restoring the soil, but also enhancing biodiversity, sequestering carbon and promoting a healthy ecosystem.  And you as a consumer have the power to support these efforts by making sustainable food choices from those brands doing their part to help make a brighter and greener future. Let's take a look under the hood of some trailblazing brands that are putting in the work to be part of the climate change solution. ![sustainable food brands](https://blog.joolies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/3-4.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=3-4.png) ## Trailblazing Brands [Joolies Dates](https://joolies.com/) - Joolies is changing the date-ing game! We let no date go to waste by upcycling our imperfect, yet equally delicious, medjool dates into value-added products like Ugglies, Date Toppers, Jooliettes, and date syrup. Recently, we have revamped our packaging to use less material, but still post-consumer recycled, helping to alleviate the premium price of our dates, without compromising our commitment to sustainability. *[Read more about sustainable farming practices](https://blog.joolies.com/pre-harvest-farm-visit) and commitments. * - Challenges: For the past 30 years, Joolies has been growing organic medjool dates on our single-origin family farm in Coachella Valley, CA. Our vibrant brand’s mission is to attract attention for younger generations to eat more dates. We take pride in the fact that all of our products are organic, glyphosate residue-free, and sustainably packaged. But let’s be real, it can and is tough to keep up with big conventional brands on price. [Barnana](https://barnana.com/pages/farm-to-shelf-sustainability) - Barnana snacks are made using delicious upcycled bananas and plantains grown by Indigenous women tending regenerative farms in the Amazon. Snacks that enrich the soil, the people and the surrounding environment just taste better! - Challenges: It can be tricky to explain to consumers that upcycling delicious organic  bananas does NOT mean that we’re using rotten bananas in our product.  It just means they would have been wasted downstream because they’re not perfect enough for the produce guys.  Not only does this save food from going to landfills where it creates greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change but it also helps farmers make money on their imperfect but delicious crops [Pulp Pantry](http://www.pulppantry.com) - Pulp Pantry fights food waste to fight climate change, by upcycling overlooked ingredients from fruit and vegetable processing into delicious snacks. As such, we elevate food to its highest and best use: nourishing humanity! - Challenges: In our business, we do need to address the significant costs in dealing with organic materials. There is limited infrastructure in snack food manufacturing to work with fresh ingredients such as the inputs that we utilize. We have run into challenges trying to do something new in a category that is used to business as usual. [Quinn](https://quinnsnacks.com) - Quinn fights climate change by sourcing from farmers who integrate regenerative growing practices for our sorghum and popcorn kernels. By doing so, Quinn aids the restoration and healing of the earth’s soil while also creating sustainable, allergen-friendly snacks for consumers to enjoy.  - Challenges: Transitioning to regenerative growing practices isn’t the easiest path. Without the use of synthetic chemicals, there is a high risk of crop failure. [Renewal Mill](http://www.renewalmill.com) - Renewal Mill fights food waste & climate change by upcycling the pulps leftover from making plant-based milks (like soy and oat) into nutritious gluten-free flours and delicious plant-based baking mixes. Together we’re proving that we can collectively bake a better future when we choose upcycled ingredients that reduce waste and our impact on the planet. - Challenges: In building our brand we've also had to build a market for upcycled food at large. While this has taken a long time, we've banded together with other upcycled brands to share the burden of consumer education - and, after 4 years, we're seeing exciting  progress! Our ongoing challenge is how to help consumers understand the real costs behind upcycling that justify higher price points on shelf. To do good for the planet sometimes we have to vote with our dollar.   ## Shop Online Shop Our Online Store Today Joolies organic medjool dates are available in various sizes in Whole and Pit Free. We also carry delicious date-based snacks. Find us in stores across America or shop now! [Buy Now Online](https://joolies.com/cart/add?id=29603558096999) ## Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest promotions, recipes, date-ing tips and giveaway opportunities! ### Subscribe Here! ![organic medjool dates](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png) - [Shop](https://joolies.com/collections/all) - [Find Us](https://joolies.com/pages/find-us) - [Our Dates](https://joolies.com/pages/our-dates) - [Our Story](https://joolies.com/pages/our-story) - [Press](https://go.joolies.com/press) - [Wholesale](https://joolies.com/pages/wholesale) - [Blog](https://blog.joolies.com/) - GET IN TOUCH Grown \[with love\] under the California sun 🌴☀️ Path Copy@3x Created with Sketch. ![date](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5221331/Joolies_June_2019/Images/date-new_250x250.png) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/whole) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/datesyrup) [![Joolies](https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/joolies_circle_logo_tm.png)](https://joolies.com/collections/frontpage/products/pitted) [Shop Now](https://joolies.com/products/whole) [info@joolies.com](mailto:info@joolies.com) © 2020. All Rights Reserved  |  [Design](https://310creative.com/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline":"Medjool Date Benefits During Pregnancy", "image": "https://blog.joolies.com/hubfs/New%20Blog%20Compress%20Images/5_10.jpg", "url": "https://blog.joolies.com/medjool-date-health-benefits-pregnancy", "commentCount" : "0", "datePublished": "2020-03-04", "dateModified": "2020-09-08", "inLanguage": "en-US", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://blog.joolies.com/medjool-date-health-benefits-pregnancy" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT" }, "keywords": [ "medjool date benefits during pregnancy" ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Joolies California Superfruit", "url": "https://joolies.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "//cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0053/5786/3015/t/34/assets/joolies_logo_tm.png?v=12094821509155848712" } }, "articleSection": [ "Fiber is a pregnant woman’s best friend, and dates are a perfect vessel", "Dates are chock-full of pregnancy-friendly nutrients", "Dates can support a healthy labor", "Dates are a healthy sweet-treat that has a low glycemic index", "Dates-The Perfect Mother’s Day Treat" ], "articleBody": "Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate that special woman in your life who changed your diapers when you were little and wiped your tears when you went through your first break-up. It is also a day to recognize and support the pregnant mamas who are going to be a mother within the next few months. Being pregnant is hard work, so taking some time to recognize and support mamas-to-be on Mother’s Day will go a long way this year. You can surprise the pregnant lady in your life with a bunch of flowers or a fancy brunch, but why not give her something that can help support a healthy pregnancy, help with labor, and provide her with an unexpected sweet-treat? Organic medjool dates are a perfect food for pregnant women for many surprising reasons that we are going to dig into in this article. Medjool dates are considered a fresh fruit and grown on palm trees. Sometimes confused to be dried fruit or prunes, they are naturally sweet and have a caramel-like flavor. They’re also less perishable and long-lasting fruit that you can stock up on! Perfect on their own or for baking. There is nothing glamorous about constipation, but between 16 and 26 percent of pregnant women experience it according to data published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1). For the most part, changes in hormone levels that naturally occur during pregnancy are to blame. Fortunately, there are many remedies available to help a mama get things moving a little more easily. Eating foods that are naturally rich in fiber is a perfect first line of defense. Most adults will need between 25 and 35 grams of fiber per day along with plenty of fluids to encourage regular number 2s. Dates have specifically been shown to help increase bowel movement frequency. In one study, people who ate dates for 21 days experienced increases in bowel movements compared to when they did not eat dates (2). A Joolies 3 Date Snack Pack provides 3 grams of fiber, which accounts for 11% of your daily recommended intake. Skipping the chalky fiber supplements and sneaking in some dates instead is a gentle and natural way to show a pregnant woman’s bowels some love. Trust us, she would much prefer to skip the constipation than be surprised with a dozen red roses any day of the week. If you have ever dreamed about finding a food that is loaded with important nutrients that support a developing baby that also satisfies a sweet tooth, then you are about to have your fantasy become a reality. Dates naturally contain many important nutrients that are needed in higher amounts during pregnancy, including folate, choline, iron, and magnesium according to the USDA (3). Eating a Joolies 3-Date Snack Pack daily along with a prenatal vitamin is a yummy way to ensure that mama is getting the right nutrition to support a growing baby in a simple and sweet way. While pregnancy can be a beautiful time in a woman’s life, sometime during the third trimester many women will start griping that she is SO ready to go into labor. While there are many myths surrounding ways to induce labor, eating dates has some real scientific data supporting their consumption. Specifically, eating dates has been shown to increase cervical ripening. .....Cervical what? Let’s start understanding the concept of cervical ripening by going back to sex-ed 101 and understanding what a cervix is: a tissue that connects the birth canal to the uterus. The cervix needs to ripen, or become softer, in order for labor to take place. No cervical ripening, no labor! When mama reaches the point where she is done with her pregnancy with a capital D, she may want to start bumping up her daily date consumption. Why, you ask? Data has found that eating around 70 grams of dates per day (equal to approximately 5 Joolies medjool dates per day) in late pregnancy may increase cervical ripening (4). 'It is recommended for pregnant women to consume dates to help with cervical ripening, particularly in the last weeks of gestation’, according to an article published in the Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health (5). In one study, researchers found that women who ate 6 dates a day for the 4 weeks before delivery had the following results: higher cervical dilatation and ripening at hospital admission lower c-section rate less need for certain medications shorter labor when compared with women who did not eat dates daily (6). Best of all, no studies have shown a negative effect of eating dates while pregnant. If a woman is late in her pregnancy and is ready to get her baby out of her belly ASAP, eating 5 or more dates per day will certainly not hurt, and may actually help speed things along! Pregnancy cravings aren’t just pickles and ice cream. From salty to sweet, there is no telling what a pregnant woman is going to NEED to eat at any given moment. Dates help satisfy sweet cravings in a healthy way thanks to their low glycemic index (7). With low glycemic foods, the carbs are digested more slowly and are less likely to give blood sugars a spike (8). They are also loaded with vitamins and minerals that sugary gummy bears and sour worms could never compete with. Instead of a box of chocolates this Mother’s Day, dip some Joolies medjool dates in some dark chocolate for an indulgent treat that gives mama a nutritional boost that her body needs. Organic medjool dates are a surprising and no-fuss treat that is perfect for an expectant mother to include in her diet. They are an easy food to toss in a purse in the beginning of the day or to enjoy as a dessert after a satisfying meal. Perfectly versatile, satisfying, and nutritious, Joolies medjool dates are a simple solution for pregnant mamas to help support her on her journey to motherhood. Written by: Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT Registered Dietician, Nutritionist, Women's Health Expert and Freelance Writer" } ```