Bolthouse Organic Baby Carrots Exposed

“The use of small amounts of chlorine is a common and necessary practice used in the fresh-cut produce industry to kill harmful bacteria and sanitize the water,” said Bolthouse Farms in a recent email response to Nourishing Plot. This statement was directly after they said, “At Bolthouse Farms we produce the highest quality and safest carrot products. Carrots are harvested daily and are washed, sorted for quality, cut, peeled, cooled and then packaged all within 24 hours to ensure the best quality and freshest flavor possible.”

Many people are suffering with intestinal issues due to a compromised microbiome. Reestablishing this microbiome is a tedious and labor intensive job. It is not easy but it is worth it to regain your health. The cause of our increasingly damaged microflora is often cited as antibiotic use. Bleach works much the same as antibiotics, killing good microflora.

Natural News says the addition of bleach robs vegetables and fruit of their nutrition.

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 Dr. Mercola says bleach residue on food damages the pancreas.

Bolthouse Farms says, “Water is used within our facility to clean and cool the carrots. The water is made safe following strict FDA and USDA guidelines.  This helps provide the safest product possible. The very small amount of chlorine in our water to clean and wash carrots is nearly 90% less than the chlorine level in normal tap (drinking) water. We continuously monitor the chlorine levels and verify the levels with laboratory tests throughout the entire production day.”

However in a statement to Moms-to-be the FDA says, “Wash those fruits and veggies!” They list bullet points for new moms to follow specifically saying, “Don’t use soap, detergents, or bleach solutions to wash produce.”

Peter Rabbit Farms, the brand sold at Aldi, returned their email response saying, “We are a grower only and no longer cut, peel and polish carrots here at our facility. The phone number to call regarding the current process on how the baby carrots maintain their appearance would be Bolthouse Farms.”

They further add, “I have been asked this question many times regarding the urban myth about baby carrots being dipped in some sort of solution to preserve their appearance. From my years of experience it is completely untrue. They are brought in the shed, cut, peeled and polished. They are chilled with water that is treated with chlorine much the same way that our drinking water is to make sure no impurities are passed along with the carrots and into the bag.”

Bolthouse added, “Bolthouse Farms does not soak its carrots in water. Carrots are moved as rapidly as possible through production to ensure the freshest, safest and best tasting carrots available. On rare occasion, you may notice a baby carrot with a white color on the surface. This is absolutely not chlorine residue. It is simply a sign that the carrot is drying out. When Bolthouse Farms peels the carrots, some of the carrots’ protection for maintaining moisture is diminished.”

 Sadly vinegar, a perfectly healthy and effective way to clean carrots, would work to clean the carrots and it would be safe for human ingestion. 

When choosing carrots a better option is normal sized carrots, not baby carrots. The nutrition content is higher with the peels in place. For the highest nutrient density choose carrots with the greens still on top. The Carrot Museum says carrots tops are high in vitamin K.

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*Nourishing Plot is written by a mom whose son has been delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder, manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia through food. This is not a news article published by a paper trying to make money. This blog is put out by a mom who sees first hand the effects of nourishing food vs food-ish items. No company pays her for writing these blogs, she considers this a form of missionary work. It is her desire to scream it from the rooftops so that others don’t suffer from the damaging effect of today’s “food”.

Other sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/22/cancer-prevention.aspx

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/nutrition.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/041745_pesticide_harmful_chemicals_nutrition_killers.html