Baby carrots soaked in chlorine?

[North_Of_60]

I sometimes buy baby carrots to snack on, and DD was eating one the other day at a superbowl party when my SIL told me she knows a woman who is a produce distributer, and she said that baby carrots are soaked in chlorine to rid them of e-coli.

She said the organic brand "Bunny Love" is the worst, but that they all do it.

Is this true (I haven't been able to find anything, but I'm a crappy searcher).

[Starflower]

AAAACK! That's nasty if it's true. Yeesh.

[Severine]

Ick! No wonder why they always feel so funny!

Here's what i found when googling:
http://wanderingvisitor.blogspot.com...maybe-not.html

Here's one that talks about using chlorine for cosmetic purposes with baby carrots:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/53...scription.html

Here's a website talking about growing and harvesting your own crops of carrots... and I quote:

Prestorage washing of carrots in clean water containing 100 ppm chlorine is desirable.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...re/DG7196.html

Here's a UK article about storage of produce before you get it...and it talks about apples being washed in chlorinated water, too.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodm...995340,00.html

This was just from a quick search... sounds like a valid point, though I haven't thoroughly researched or read all the articles. Yuck!

[christacular]

100 ppm?

ppm means parts per million. 100 out of a million is a TINY amount. any dishes washed in a commercial kitchen are rinsed in a solution that contains much higher amounts of chlorine than that. there is probably more chlorine in your tap water than on your baby carrots. chlorine also evaporates very quickly, leaving zero residue behind.

[Severine]

Again, that was a quick search.

Personally, any chlorine added is too much, IMHO. Chlorine is not good for you, period.

[christacular]

Originally Posted by Severine

Again, that was a quick search.

Personally, any chlorine added is too much, IMHO. Chlorine is not good for you, period.

haha, ok. well, neither is e. coli or any other food bourne illness. so, good luck with that. :

[christacular]

do a google search of "chlorine" and "fresh fruits and vegetables" and you will find it is not just baby carrots, but MOST fresh produce you buy in the store (including organics) has been sprayed with a very, very weak chlorine solution. it is industry standard. the rare fruit/veggie avoids it but still must be treated in some way; it seems as though ozone is becoming a popular choice though still very rare as it is more costly.

[pampered_mom]

When you buy food from an industrial system, you have to expect that industrial solutions will be applied. Their other choice is to irradiate your food - and in the case of the e.coli outbreak in spinach, and our society's unwillingness to leave industrial farming behind, that's pretty much the only option they're willing to accept b/c it's literally inside the plant tissues.

Better option? Grown your own carrots (they store well for the winter) or buy them locally, directly from the farmer when you can ask them specifically what they do with their produce. Then you can cut the carrots up however you like! :0)

[4lilfarmers]

Originally Posted by christacular

do a google search of "chlorine" and "fresh fruits and vegetables" and you will find it is not just baby carrots, but MOST fresh produce you buy in the store (including organics) has been sprayed with a very, very weak chlorine solution. it is industry standard. the rare fruit/veggie avoids it but still must be treated in some way; it seems as though ozone is becoming a popular choice though still very rare as it is more costly.

yea, i just heard a piece on NPR about soaking spinach, lettuce, other greens in chlorine b/f shipping. i was going to ask if organics are safe...guess not. that stinks. we need to revive our local farming system/economy...wouldn't it be great if we could all get our produce needs from our local farmers

[UUMom]

In reality, they spray more chlorine bleach on toys in your Dr's office and in day care centers and preschools.

[4lilfarmers]

Originally Posted by UUMom

In reality, they spray more chlorine bleach on toys in your Dr's office and in day care centers and preschools.

hmm...that's why my ds doesn't play with toys at drs office, go to daycare or preschool...

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by krismarie

hmm...that's why my ds doesn't play with toys at drs office, go to daycare or preschool...

I knew someone was going to say this. :

If you've ever been somewhere with a new carpet, your child has been exposed to more poisons that she would eating baby carrots.

If you've ever been in the shoe department of a Target , your child has been exposed to more off gassing toxins that she would from eating baby carrots.

My point is, the mm parts per billion of chlorine in these carrots isn't anything.

[funkygranolamama]

Originally Posted by North_Of_60

I sometimes buy baby carrots to snack on, and DD was eating one the other day at a superbowl party when my SIL told me she knows a woman who is a produce distributer, and she said that baby carrots are soaked in chlorine to rid them of e-coli.

She said the organic brand "Bunny Love" is the worst, but that they all do it.

Is this true (I haven't been able to find anything, but I'm a crappy searcher).

I contacted my certified organic produce distributor and she said that bunny luv doesn't use the chlorine solution on their carrots, or any other produce. I googled so much my brain wanted to pop trying to find something about this to no avail. I read the article someone posted about WHY certain companies use the solution. The article says the solution is used to keep the carrots from getting the chalky appearance. I know when we get bunny luv org carrots in they are chalky within 5-7 days, so I really don't think they are treated. If any of you have any direct links about bunny luv and chlorine solutions, I'd love to see them. Otherwise, I think that lady may have been misinformed.

[4lilfarmers]

Originally Posted by UUMom

I knew someone was going to say this. :

If you've ever been somewhere with a new carpet, your child has been exposed to more poisons that she would eating baby carrots.

If you've ever been in the shoe department of a Target , your child has been exposed to more off gassing toxins that she would from eating baby carrots.

My point is, the mm parts per billion of chlorine in these carrots isn't anything.

i know...i'm just someone who longs for good ol local food all year (thats why we grow our own for the year)... there are so many contaminants everywhere--but there doesn't HAVE to be on our foods.

[Leilalu]

This is why we aspire to live in our own handmade wigwam and only eat food we can grow or catch.

:

Just another reason to support your local farmer's market and CSA in season!

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by krismarie

i know...i'm just someone who longs for good ol local food all year (thats why we grow our own for the year)... there are so many contaminants everywhere--but there doesn't HAVE to be on our foods.

I am not saying how great it is, just trying to put it in toxin prospective.

[Jwebbal]

yeah well, just because something is grown locally, doesn't mean it can't be a possible source of contamination such as e coli. Personally, I prefer white vinegar solutions over chlorine, but agree with UU mom that put in perspective 100 ppm is nothing. Like an earlier poster said, chlorine is much less a problem than the possible pathogens that could in on or in your produce.

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by Jwebbal

yeah well, just because something is grown locally, doesn't mean it can't be a possible source of contamination such as e coli. Personally, I prefer white vinegar solutions over chlorine, but agree with UU mom that put in perspective 100 ppm is nothing. Like an earlier poster said, chlorine is much less a problem than the possible pathogens that could in on or in your produce.

Your absolutely right, but at least if it's grown locally you can actually visit the farm and ask the farmer about their growing methods, environment, etc yourself!

[Jwebbal]

Your absolutely right, but at least if it's grown locally you can actually visit the farm and ask the farmer about their growing methods, environment, etc yourself!

I don't mean to be rude, but even if I visit (like I have the time?), I don't think I could make a real judgement about whether contamination could happen. I mean it might look perfect (obvious problems not withstanding, I could avoid those) and still be problematic. It doesn't take much for it to happen, and I am not doing lab tests. Asking is nice and all, and I do it myself, but its no guarantee.

[Sustainer]

100 ppm is too much for me. Heck, 1 ppm would bother me. I don't drink tap water. I even filter the chlorine out of my shower water.

I'd rather risk e coli than eat food that has been sprayed with chlorine.

I would be surprised if it is allowable to spray organics with chlorine. That would pretty much render them non-organic. The whole point of organic is that they are not sprayed with chemicals.

Just because toys are sprayed with chlorine doesn't mean we should just say "oh well, who cares if it's on my food too then." The idea is to limit exposure as much as possible.

I try to keep my kids away from new carpets and shoe departments. Even if I didn't, though, it would still be a good idea to buy food that hasn't been sprayed with chlorine or other chemicals. To say that foods that have been sprayed with chlorine contain fewer toxins than new carpets and shoe departments isn't saying much. 100 ppm might be considered an acceptable amount by some people, but it is considered an unacceptable amount by others.

Originally Posted by Jwebbalchlorine

chlorine is much less a problem than the possible pathogens that could in on or in your produce

That's a matter of opinion. People who are more comfortable with chlorine than with the possibility of food-borne illness are free to buy food that has been sprayed with chlorine. Those who are more comfortable with the risks of Nature than with chlorine should eat food that has not been sprayed with chlorine.