The Truth about The Baby Carrots Washed In Chlorine

Some of you may have received an email that warns against the use of chlorine during processing of baby carrots. and wondered what to do about it. If you have not seen the email, I've included the one forwarded by a reader of Fishtarian below for your reference.

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 crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots . most people probably know this already.

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) 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 vegetables which are practically plastic?

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. Please let us make this information available to as many people as possible. If you care about your family and friends, pass it on.

The email is so well written that would easily raise doubts in your mind wondering whether you should continue offering your kids the healthy finger food. So, I set out to do some research. After all, baby carrots have been my long-time favorite and a common ingredient in my recipes. Below are my findings:

1. Are the baby carrots made out of the larger crooked carrots? The answer is "true - originally". The baby carrot was invented in 1986 by leading Newhall California carrot producer Mike Yurosek who sought to save at least some of the broken or misshapen carrots that he could not use in his fresh carrot packing line. That is no longer the case, though. A new breed of smaller carrots is now commonly used particularly for the baby carrots. The new breed is designed to contain extra sweetness and to have stronger appeal to children. Even if the baby carrots are made out of the larger crooked carrots, there wouldn't be any difference in terms of nutrition. So, I don't see this a problem.
2. Are the baby carrots dipped in a chlorine water solution during the processing? The answer to that question is also "true." Don't panic, yet. Chlorine dioxide antimicrobial for fruits and vegetables is allowed by FDA. In fact, it's a very common practice in the food processing industry that handles food treatment from fruits, vegetables, chickens, to red meats. The truth is chlorine sanitization over foods is safe, when following the FDA guidelines.
3. How about the white covering, then? The white covering has nothing to do with chlorine dioxide antimicrobial at all. It is naturally formed on the cutting surface of carrots, after they are dried out in the air. You can reproduce the same effect by peeling and letting dry a fresh normal-sized carrot you get from a grocery store. The entire baby carrot is a cutting surface.

It is not clear about the motivation behind such email. I'm sure this won't be the last one. But, we should handle this kind of matter with our due diligence. I hope this post rests your mind in peace, when you enjoy or offer your kids the healthy finger food again.