The Ugly Truth About Baby Carrots

The ever so cute baby carrots are a lunch staple. A bag full of peeled, smooth, symmetrical cut carrots come in handy for a healthy food choice. Each one of us must have at least thought once that they do not look like real carrots. But then convenience takes precedence over all other doubts. 

So how are they grown really? Well, they are made not grown.

Baby carrots are made from carrots specifically designed to grow slimmer, sweeter and have a soft core; unlike real carrots. They are in fact planted very close together to get the required diameter. A normal carrot takes 160-200 days to mature. But carrots grown for baby carrots are harvested in around 120 days. The slimmer, tender carrots are then machine cut and polished for rounded edges. Moving on, they are buffed and polished to reveal the bright orange color. They are NOT peeled! They are then given a chlorine bath. Yes, you heard it right. Grimmway Farms although confirms that later they are washed in fresh water to REDUCE the chlorine effect. But still chlorine? Also, these companies say that the amount of chlorine is FDA approved. But then this is the same FDA that approves high fructose corn syrup and several other GMO foods. 

Lets talk numbers. Baby carrots have 20% less Vitamin A than the regular carrots. And 55% less Vitamin C.  They are neither considered a good source of fiber when compared to regular carrots. Studies show that regular carrots contain essential phytochemical to control bacteria and ward off viral infections. But these baby carrots just do not have any.

Growing up I learnt that all fruits and vegetables pack a lot of nutrients in their core. Same applies to the carrot. Where did the core go in baby carrots? The most nutritious foods are those which are mature before harvesting. But looks like the carrot cuties are pulled apart way to early. 

And last but not the least. Will you eat vegetables that are grown in a farm or made in a factory?