The Dirty Truth About Baby Carrots: What They Don’t Want You to Know

This invention came about in the 1980s as a way to reduce waste from misshapen carrots. While it certainly reduced food waste, it also opened the door to marketing these trimmed carrots as a healthy, convenient snack.

The Chlorine Wash: Even Organic Baby Carrots Aren’t Safe

Here’s the part that might surprise you: almost all baby carrots—yes, even the organic ones—are washed in a chlorine solution before being packaged. The USDA allows the use of chlorine to kill bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless.

The chlorine rinse is similar to what’s used in swimming pools and can leave behind chemical residues. While producers claim the carrots are rinsed again with potable water afterward, many health-conscious consumers are understandably concerned. Organic baby carrots are no exception—they too often undergo this chlorine treatment because it’s permitted under organic certification for post-harvest handling.

Carrots and World War II Propaganda

The myth of carrots being a super source of vision-enhancing Vitamin A has its roots—quite literally—in World War II. The British Ministry of Food heavily promoted carrot consumption by claiming their pilots had superior night vision thanks to the vegetable. In reality, it was a cover-up for radar technology advancements, but the myth stuck.

This wartime propaganda turned carrots into a nutritional icon, and decades later, they’re still riding the wave of that mythos—even in processed, chlorine-washed form.

Liver vs. Carrots: The Real Source of Vitamin A

While carrots do contain beta-carotene, which your body *can* convert to Vitamin A, the conversion rate is low and variable. Your body has to work to transform beta-carotene into retinol, the active form of Vitamin A, and some people convert less efficiently than others.

In contrast, liver—especially beef or chicken liver—is packed with preformed Vitamin A (retinol), the type your body can use immediately. A single serving of liver provides far more usable Vitamin A than a whole bag of baby carrots. In fact, liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.

this is the best source of vitamin A here 

Is It Time to Rethink Baby Carrots?

With their processed origins, chemical exposure, and misleading marketing, baby carrots are far from the health food they’re made out to be. Even organic versions fall short when you consider the chlorine rinse and lack of bioavailable nutrients compared to whole foods like liver.

If you enjoy carrots, go for whole, unpeeled, organic varieties and scrub them yourself. Better yet, diversify your sources of nutrients and consider adding nutrient-dense organ meats like liver into your diet for superior health benefits.