ARE YOU BUYING AND EATING " BABY CARROTS " ? (False)

According to Urban Legends and Snopes washing baby carrots and other ready-to-eat fresh vegetable products, such as bagged salads in a chlorine-and-water solution before packaging is an accepted practice in processing fresh cut ready to eat vegetables. The purpose of washing vegetables with chlorinated water is to protect consumers' health by reducing bacteria that could cause food borne illnesses.

The "white covering" that you see on refrigerated baby carrots or "cocktail carrots" is a harmless discoloration resulting from moisture loss and/or abrasion during storage.

You can look at the labels and opt not to buy "baby cut carrots". Go for "baby carrots" which have been harvested while they are still young and tiny.

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From My In Box:

Baby Carrots are not what you think they are

'The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for

IGA, METRO, LOBLAWS, etc.

The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the

larger carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into

cocktail carrots .

What you may not know and should know is the following: once the carrots are cut

and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine

in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used your pool) and since they

do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose

of chlorine.

You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days,

a white covering will form on the carrots; this is the chlorine which resurfaces.

At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing and simple

to serve vegetables which are unhealthy?

We do hope that this information can be passed on to as many people as possible

in the hopes of informing them where these carrots come from and how they are

processed. Chlorine is a very well known carcinogen.'