Organic Deglet Noor Dates:
Certified Supply From the Tunisian Oasis

Organic Deglet Noor dates are the organic date variety food manufacturers ask for most: firm, mildly sweet and stable enough to pit, dice, mill or turn into paste without refrigeration. This guide explains what “organic” actually requires of a supplier, the documents a US or Canadian buyer should receive with every shipment, how organic lots differ from conventional ones in practice, and how to specify and order.

What Are Organic Deglet Noor Dates?

Deglet Noor — also spelled Deglet Nour, from the Arabic for “date of light” — is a semi-dry variety with translucent amber flesh and a mild, honey-like sweetness. Organic Deglet Noor dates are the same fruit, grown and handled under an organic standard and verified by an independent certification body.

That last part is what “organic” means in practice. It describes how the dates were produced and handled — not how they look or taste. Side by side, organic and conventional Deglet Noor are the same variety and can be the same grade.

The variety suits organic supply well. Its semi-dry flesh keeps for 12 to 18 months stored cool and dry, with no refrigeration needed, and the Saharan oasis climate — hot, sunny and very dry — tends to limit the pest and fungal pressure that pushes growers in humid regions towards intervention. Our organic lots come from the Djerid oasis in south-west Tunisia, where we grow on our own plantations. For the wider picture of the variety, grades and formats, see our guide to Deglet Noor dates wholesale.

What “Organic” Requires of a Supplier

For the US market the benchmark is the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), and our organic lots are certified to it. In plain terms, a certified organic supply chain means:

• Certified operations at each step. The grower and the processor or packer each hold a valid organic certificate whose scope covers the product.
• An organic system plan describing how the fruit is grown, harvested, stored and processed, reviewed by the certifier.
• Approved inputs only. No prohibited synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, no genetically engineered ingredients and no irradiation.
• Segregation. Organic fruit is kept apart from conventional fruit at harvest, in processing, in packing and in storage, to prevent commingling and contamination.
• Annual inspection and an audit trail. Records allow a certifier to trace any lot back to where it was grown.

Importing organic dates into the USA

Since the compliance date of the USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule in March 2024, organic products entering the United States must be covered by an NOP Import Certificate issued through the USDA Organic Integrity Database, and most businesses that import, trade or broker organic products must be certified themselves, with some exemptions. The rules are detailed and they change, so confirm the exact document set for your first order with your own certification body.

Selling organic dates in Canada

Organic claims in Canada are regulated under the Canada Organic Regime, and an equivalency arrangement exists between the Canadian and US organic systems. How it applies to your product and your label is something to confirm with your certifier or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before you print packaging.

Organic vs Conventional Deglet Noor: What Actually Changes

If the fruit is the same, what actually changes? Mostly the paperwork, the handling chain and the availability — not the dates themselves.

Because the premium pays for certification and segregation rather than for a different date, the practical question is whether your product needs the organic claim. If it does, the supplier’s documentation matters far more than any sample you can taste.

Organic Deglet Noor Formats and Related Ingredients

Organic Deglet Noor is available in the formats manufacturers and packers actually buy:

• Whole, natural — 5 kg and 10 kg food-grade cartons, plus larger bulk formats for industrial use
• Pitted — destoned and pit-fragment inspected for manufacturing lines. See our guide to pitted Deglet Noor dates for specifications and pit-fragment control
• Organic date ingredients — organic date paste, organic date puree, organic date powder and sugar and organic diced and chopped dates
• Retail and private label — organic-labelled packs to your artwork and barcodes

Specifications

Buyer’s Checklist: Eight Things to Verify Before You Order

A certificate on a website proves very little. Before you place a first organic order, ask for and check these eight things:

1. The supplier’s current organic certificate — and confirm its scope actually covers the product you are buying. You can also look up certified operations in the USDA Organic Integrity Database.
2. The documents for each consignment — an organic transaction certificate and, for US imports, the NOP Import Certificate your certifier will expect to see.
3. Segregation controls — how organic and conventional fruit are kept apart at harvest, in processing, in packing and in storage.
4. Post-harvest pest control — confirm the method used is permitted under organic rules.
5. A certificate of analysis for the lot — moisture, water activity and microbiological results, with heavy metals on request.
6. Traceability — can the lot number on the carton be traced back to where the fruit was grown?
7. Packaging and labelling — materials suitable for organic goods, with the lot and organic status clearly marked.
8. Allocation and lead time — organic volume is allocated by harvest, so ask what is available and when.

Where Organic Deglet Noor Is Used

Buyers choose organic Deglet Noor when the organic claim is part of their own product positioning:

• Organic bars, bites and snack mixes — a recognisable single-ingredient sweetener and binder
• Organic bakery and cereal — fillings, inclusions, granola clusters
• Organic retail packs — own-label whole or pitted dates for natural and organic channels
• Base fruit for organic date ingredients — for example organic date paste for clean-label formulations

Harvest, Availability and Planning

Deglet Noor ripens and is harvested in the autumn months, and organic volume is allocated against each harvest. That makes planning the main commercial difference from conventional supply: a buyer who commits early secures the lots and the formats they need, while late orders are limited to what remains.

Once packed, the fruit is stable. Stored cool and dry it keeps for 12 to 18 months, and because Deglet Noor is semi-dry it does not need refrigeration in transit. We ship full and part container loads (FCL and LCL) direct from Tunisia to US and Canadian ports.

Packaging and Shipping to the USA and Canada

Full packaging options across the range are detailed on our packaging page.

Certifications and Documentation

Every lot of organic Deglet Noor ships with the paperwork your quality and compliance teams need — as standard, not on request.

• USDA Organic certification, with an organic transaction certificate on every organic lot
• Certificate of analysis per production lot: Brix, moisture, water activity, microbiological results, heavy metals on request
• Halal and Kosher certificates issued per shipment
• BRC and IFS Food certification at the processing plant, audited annually
• Full lot traceability back to the plantation

See our quality and certifications overview for the detail behind each of these.

How to Order Organic Deglet Noor Dates in Bulk

Send us four things and we will come back with a firm quote within 24 business hours:

1. Volume — per shipment and, if known, annual
2. Format — whole or pitted, retail or bulk, and any organic ingredient you need
3. Packaging — your own artwork, our retail packs, or plain bulk
4. Destination and timing — US or Canadian port or door, and your target in-stock date

We grow on our own plantations in the Tunisian Djerid and export direct to North America, with no broker between the palm and your pallet. Browse the full wholesale dates range, see our date ingredients, read about who we are, or start from the homepage.

Frequently Asked Questions About Organic Deglet Noor Dates