Thursday, July 08, 2010

baby carrots are not "babies" at all..

in an attempt to say no to the "sinful stash" in the office, i've decided to prepare my own healthy snacks to feed the mid-day cravings at work today - some ready-to-eat baby carrots and strawberries i'd picked up from the supermarket.

i was just having a conversation with a friend earlier, and learnt something new about these baby carrots i'm munching on at the very moment (ooh so exciting.. hehe)... *drum rolls*..

did you know that baby carrots are not what we think they are?

the common belief:
  • baby carrots are sweet tiny young carrots that are harvested in their baby stage
the truth:
  • most baby / cocktail carrots that are sold in supermarkets are actually adult carrots pre-cut and processed to look like baby carrots *duh* - think french fries...
  • U.S. farmers first invented "baby carrots" because their deformed, odd looking adult carrots wouldn't sell, so they conceived the idea of cutting them into uniform sizes, pretty shapes to enhance their appeal (and it worked big time)
  • and because these carrots are pre-cut and exposed to bacteria, some farmers treat them with chlorine before shipping.. *uh ok*

Grimmway Farms explains the process:


read more here:
isn't it interesting? :)
i mentioned this to a few colleagues and, like me, none of them were aware at all!
examining the carrots up close, they're shaped so nicely it's almost hard to believe these babies are not that "baby" afterall. how deceiving! hehehe..

i do like munching on baby carrots and the tinier cherry/grape tomatoes. i guess from tomorrow onwards, i'll buy adult carrots and cut them into cute little shapes on my own. the healthy-snacking will not stop, perhaps the chlorine intake may... :)

2 comments:

maameemoomoo said...

Aiyoh!!!

How about those baby carrots intact with the leaves????

celest said...

some small-sized carrots are real young ones, not all are processed, but those look quite different. guess it's just good to be aware of which is which when picking them up :)

read more here.