Baby Carrots - Tasty or Toxic?

Busting the Myth of the Bleached Baby Carrot 

Grimmway Farms. Coincidence? I think not.

I am a know-it-all. I know that - see? There I go again. But I can't help it, believe me I've tried. I just want to know things. Like, all things. Literally everything. As a result, I do an awful lot of reading. If you were to venture into the spare bedroom of my apartment (I wouldn't recommend it) you would find stacks of old text books from classes I've never even taken, and piles of old newspapers peppered with highlighted segments and facts.

Oh, that's the other thing about me. I like to know facts. That is why learning something new is never enough for me. Before I repeat something I make sure to check, double check, cross-reference, and logically dissect it half to death. That way I can't pass on bad information, right? 

Unfortunately, not everyone is as bookish or knowledge-hungry as I. When I hear something repeated that I know is false, it is my natural impulse to correct them. Not because I want to be right - I would like to clear that up right now - but because I figure the other person doesn't want to be wrong. Why would you want to continue spreading information that is false? I've been told that people don't care if it is right, they don't like me constantly interrupting them with my trademark exclamation of "Actually...". Yeah, my dad's been making fun of me for that for years now. But, as I said, it is virtually out of my control at this point. 

Speaking of which, I have been hearing one rumour in particular a lot lately. I think it is an old one, to be honest, but these sorts of things like to resurface every few years. I've heard it a few times from friends and family, and even over Facebook. I am referring, of course, to the warning that baby carrots - you know the little peeled, pre-washed carrots that come in ziploc bags? - are bad for your health. Rumour has it that the culprit here is bleach, and the cute little veggies are soaked in it to prevent spoilage. Hence that white film they get after a while. Although I am not really in the habit of debunking myths on this site, I figured this one would sort of fall under bookish, and since carrots are food they could be considered cookish. So here goes. 

For those that are not familiar, here is a copy of the e-mail that was circulating a few years back about the veggie in question:

BABY CARROTS YOU BUY IN THE SUPERMARKETS

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 the m 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.

This e-mail is ridiculous on so many levels. First of all, what is wrong with deformed carrots being cut up into baby-cut carrots? There is nothing wrong with ugly carrots on a nutrition level. At any rate, this is no longer the case. Carrots are now grown specifically for the purpose of being whittled down into 'baby' carrots, and are slightly smaller in diameter and sweeter in taste. 

Secondly, what exactly does the writer mean by "esthetically pleasing vegetables which are practically plastic?"? Spelling errors aside, this sentence is still gibberish. The vegetables are not cut to be aesthetically pleasing, but rather to make them easier to serve and more palatable to children (although I suppose the appearance could play a role for some). And what on earth does 'practically plastic' mean? Nothing in the e-mail mentions anything about the carrots being genetically engineered or even modified - which would not make them plastic, or even necessarily bad, but that is a topic for another day. I guess anything that has been dipped in chlorine is plastic? Well damn, I guess I'm Barbie then. I swam in hundreds of public pools as a child. 

The e-mail also mentions that the white colouring that many baby carrots take on after a few days in the fridge is the chlorine resurfacing. Sigh. All right, here we go. 

Actually... that is false, false, false. Don't believe me? Go cut up a carrot right now. A regular, not-ugly, full-sized one. Be sure to peel it first. Now leave it in your fridge for a few days and see what happens. I can almost guarantee that the carrot will turn white. Why? Dehydration. 

Any vegetables left out will tend to dry out over time. The same goes for meat, and even cheese. Ever seen your orange cheddar get kind of dry and crusty on the ends if you didn't wrap the saran quite tight enough? Well bleach is not the culprit. The culprit is air. 

Besides the fact that carrots probably wouldn't absorb chlorine like a sponge and leak it out later like some kind of time-release capsule, I don't really understand why the writer made a point to remind you that chlorine is - yes, gasp! - the same kind that goes in your swimming pool. As if we couldn't have figured that out? Chlorine is your friend. You know chlorine. In fact, you probably know it better than you think. 

Hey man, what's up?

Apart from being used in most swimming pools worldwide, chlorine is added to your drinking water (yes, even in Vancouver). Before you start checking for tumors, bear in mind that the amount is negligible and almost completely necessary. If we did not add chlorine, or other additives, to our water supply it would be mostly undrinkable. When was the last time you got violently ill from Vancouver water? Your calm digestive state is not an accident. 

But wait - the e-mail clearly stated that the baby carrots are soaked in a solution of water and chlorine. So what does that mean, exactly? It means that there are industry standards in place to prevent the public from contracting e-coli bacteria, or other harmful food-borne pathogens. As such, the standard for cleaning 'baby' carrots is the same as the one used to keep your drinking water safe. Specifically, around 4 ppm (parts per million) maximum. The actual amount can vary depending on the city in question, and specific regulations  But generally speaking, 4 ppm is the maximum allowable chlorine in drinking water. 

Now, 4 ppm can be hard to visualize. Is that a lot? A little? Just right? To put it in perspective, the average amount of chlorine permitted in a swimming pool is about 1-3 ppm. 

But Alex! I can hear you thinking. That's less than in the drinking water!

Yup, that's right. The amount of chlorine recommended to ensure our drinking water is pure and free of viruses and bacteria is higher than the amount required to keep your swimming pool clean. This is for several reasons, but what might be bothering you right now is the smell. That one that hangs around public pools and makes you think of turquoise blue water and swim suits and children screaming. You know, that pool smell? 

Well actually... that smell is not chlorine. While most pools use pure chlorine in their water to sterilize it, the chemical doesn't like to stay that way. Ever wonder why there are signs posted everywhere at Rec Centers requesting that you shower before entering the pool? And those annoying reminders telling you not urinate in the water? Turns out there is a good reason for that besides just being, well, gross. 

Caught red-handed.

That smell that you  - er - smell is actually chloramine. Chloramine is a compound that is created when chlorine comes into contact with ammonia or other organic matter. The resulting product is dangerous to your respiratory system, known to aggravate asthma and other conditions.  It is also responsible for the odour that clings to your skin and hair for hours after swimming. Chloramine is the culprit as well when it comes to common swimmer's ailments such as itchy skin and red eyes. Ironically, a strong pool smell might mean that there is not enough chlorine present in the pool to kill the bacteria. If that is the case, why not just add loads more chlorine?

Well because, as it turns out, you don't have to drink chlorine to absorb it. Some chlorine can absorbed through the skin, especially if the water is warm and your pores are all nice and dilated. Like when you're in a pool, or a hot tub, or y'know, the shower. 

Yes, the shower. Chances are, the same water that flows through your kitchen tap flows through your shower head, too. Studies have shown that chlorine is readily absorbed through the lungs when in gas form. Like when you heat it up really high and allow it to come into contact with organic matter. Like... you?

This has been linked to everything from bladder cancer to asthma, to increased autoimmune disorders (Celiacs? Although that may just be a fashion trend).

Now I am not saying you should stop showering. Just make sure you're clean before hopping in, or chlorine will become his nasty alter-ego chloramine. Just kidding. Well, not really, but obviously we all need to shower and we don't all have asthma and are riddled with tumors. At this point in our society, we still need chlorine and the risk of cancer from inhalation is far less than the risk of death by contamination if we were to do away with it. So before you write your local mayor and pester him/her about the purification system in your city or town, bear in mind that drinking it is (mostly) harmless.

In conclusion, baby carrots are not plastic. They are not soaked in bleach, although the water used to wash them has nationally acceptable levels of chlorine to kill potential pathogens that would be more than happy to invade your body and wreak havoc on your health. You can safely and happily continue to buy them and feed them to your friends, family, and even children. Although the next time your toddler screams he doesn't want to have a bath, withhold your sigh of exasperation. He may be on to something.