I have received this email that has been circulating since March 2008.
ARE YOU BUYING AND EATING ” BABY CARROTS ” ?
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.
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.’
( Real carrots )
Status on http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp as multiple.
Quotes from Urbanlegends: It’s true that baby carrots (aka “cocktail carrots”) were originally produced by cutting and trimming odd-shaped or broken carrots into a uniform, smaller size (though now they’re made from carrots grown specifically for the purpose).
It’s also true that baby carrots are typically washed in a chlorine-and-water solution before packaging (as are other ready-to-eat fresh vegetable products, such as bagged salads).
None of this is harmful to your health, however, says Dr. Joe Schwarcz, professor of chemistry at McGill University. The whole point of washing vegetables with chlorinated water is to protect consumers’ health by reducing bacteria that could cause food borne illnesses.
The “white covering” mentioned above which sometimes appears on the surface of refrigerated carrots (known as “white blush” in the industry) is a harmless discoloration resulting from moisture loss and/or abrasion during storage. It has nothing to do with chlorine and does not affect the taste or nutritional value of the carrots.
For further information on chlorinated water, visit:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/frefra/safsal/read-eat_e.shtml#15-0