- Baby carrots are peeled, shaped and packaged for convenience.
- They’re kept wet to stay fresh and prevent drying out.
- White coating or blush is normal and safe to eat.
Baby carrots are a popular go-to for quick, crunchy snacking. They’re easy to grab, require no prep and provide rich nutrition. But if you’ve ever opened a bag, you’ve probably noticed one thing: they’re always wet.
In fact, whole carrots are typically dry when you buy them. Baby carrots, on the other hand, are almost always wet and may sometimes develop a thin white coating on the surface. Why is that, and are they still safe to eat?
To understand why this happens, we spoke with chefs and food scientists to break down the science.
Why Baby Carrots Are Always Wet
First, it helps to understand what makes baby carrots unique. Despite the name, baby carrots are not actually young carrots. They’re regular, fully grown carrots that have been trimmed down into small, narrow cylinders.
“To reduce food waste, in 1986 a farmer from California invented ‘baby carrots,’” says Chef Richard LaMarita. True baby carrots are actually harvested early and sold in bunches with the tops attached, but the baby-cut carrots most people are familiar with are those uniform 2-inch pieces sold in bags at the grocery store.
“Baby carrots are made from fully grown carrots that are peeled and cut into smaller pieces, often using carrots that are misshapen, broken during harvesting or don’t meet USDA grading standards,” explains Jessica Gavin, a food scientist. “This process reduces food waste while creating a convenient, ready-to-eat product.”
So what actually makes the baby carrots wet? It all has to do with processing. “After peeling and shaping, they’re thoroughly washed with potable water and briefly treated with a mild chlorine rinse to reduce harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, then rinsed again to remove residual chlorine,” Gavin explains.
While peeling helps create uniform pieces, it also removes the carrot’s natural protective layer, which makes the carrots more vulnerable to bacteria and dehydration, explains LaMarita.
“Baby carrots trade that natural protection for convenience,” says Lindsey Schoenfeld, M.S., RD. “They’re peeled, ready to eat and easy to use, but they tend to spoil faster once opened, compared to whole, small carrots.”
“Since the protective outer skin has been removed, the exposed carrot flesh loses moisture quickly,” Gavin says. “To keep them crisp, a small amount of filtered water is added to the bag during packaging.”
Other Facts About Baby Carrots
Now that you know why baby carrots are wet, you may have a few other questions. Here are some common questions our experts often hear:
- What are signs carrots have gone bad? Gavin says that baby carrots should be discarded if they become “slimy, mushy or develop dark spots, which are signs of spoilage.”
- How long can you store baby carrots? Since exposure to oxygen promotes spoilage, it’s important to keep baby carrots in an airtight container or resealable bag. “For the best quality and texture, it’s ideal to use baby carrots within about a week or purchase.”
- Why do baby carrots often have a white coating? “A white blush will form on the surface of the carrots caused by the dehydration of the cut surface,” LaMarita explains. “High-humidity storage minimizes the blush. Therefore, they are bagged with added filtered tap water.” He adds that the coating is harmless and the carrots are still safe to eat.
Our Expert Take
Developed as a way to reduce food waste, baby carrots have become a staple in many diets. Keeping carrots slightly wet helps preserve freshness and prevents them from drying out, making them both safe and enjoyable to eat.
LaMarita sums up the rise in baby carrots this way: “It unearths a lot of truths about our food system and the lengths we go to in processing our food to get it to your table in an attractive, presentable way.”
