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{{Short description|Carrot sold at a smaller size before reaching maturity}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2014}}
A '''baby carrot''' (true baby carrot) is a [[carrot]] harvested before reaching maturity and sold at that smaller size. A '''baby-cut carrot''', or '''mini-carrot''' (manufactured baby carrot), is a small piece cut from a larger carrot
|title=The True Story of Baby Carrots - Origin and Evolution |url=http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/babycarrot.html |url-status=dead
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220514154219/http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/babycarrot.html
|archive-date= March 24, 2022
|website=World Carrot Museum}}</ref>
== Baby carrots ==
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== "Baby-cut" carrots ==
[[File:babycarrot.jpg|thumb|"Baby-cut" carrots]]
Taking fully grown carrots and cutting them to a smaller size for sale was an innovation made by [[California]] carrot farmer [[Mike Yurosek]] in 1986 to reduce [[food waste]].<ref name="USA Today 1" />
In 2006, nearly three-quarters of the fresh "baby-cut" carrots produced in the [[United States]] came from [[Bakersfield, California]].<ref name="USA Today 1">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-08-11-baby-carrot_x.htm |title=Digging the baby carrot |last=Weise |first=Elizabeth |date=August 11, 2004 |work=[[USA Today]] |accessdate=March 20, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221092838/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-08-11-baby-carrot_x.htm |archivedate=December 21, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref> [[Bolthouse Farms]] and [[Grimmway Farms]] are the world's two largest growers, processors, and shippers of "baby-cut" carrots.<ref>{{cite news|last=McGray|first=Douglas|title=How Carrots Became The New Junk Food|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1739774/how-carrots-became-new-junk-food|newspaper=Fast Company|date=March 22, 2011}}</ref>
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To make "baby-cut" carrots, large carrots are put into a machine and cut into {{convert|2|in|spell=in|adj=on}} sections, then abraded (scraped) down to size, their ends rounded by the same process.
# In the field, two-story carrot harvesters use long metal prongs to open up the soil, while rubber belts grab the green tops and pull. The carrots ride up the belts to the top of the picker, where an automated cutter snips off the greens.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
# They are trucked to the processing plant, where they are put in icy water to bring their temperature down to {{convert|3|C}} to inhibit spoiling.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
# They are sorted by thickness. Thin carrots continue on the processing line; the others will be used as whole carrots, juice, or cattle feed. An inspector looks for rocks, debris or malformed carrots that slip through.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
# The carrots are shaped into {{convert|2|in|adj=on|spell=in}} pieces by automated cutters. An optical sorter discards any piece that has green on it.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
# The pieces are pumped through pipes to the peeling tanks. The peelers rotate, scraping the skin off the carrots. There are two stages: an initial rough peel and then a final "polishing."<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
# To reduce microbial contamination, "baby-cut" carrots may be treated with small amounts of [[chlorine]].<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="Snopes carrot">{{cite web|last=Mikkelson|first=Barbara|title=Carrot and Shtick|url=http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp|website=[[Snopes]] |accessdate=November 2, 2013}}</ref> Those that are so treated will be subsequently rinsed with potable water to remove the excess chlorine before being packaged.<ref name="Snopes carrot" /> According to the [[Canadian Food Inspection Agency]], the use of chlorine as an antimicrobial treatment (similar to the chlorination of drinking water) is a current accepted practice in the processing for all fresh-cut ready-to-eat vegetables.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/frefra/safsal/minproe.shtml#s15|title=Code of Practice for Minimally Processed Ready-to-Eat Fruit and Vegetables|date=October 21, 2014|publisher=Canadian Food Inspection Agency}}</ref>
# The carrots are weighed and bagged by an automated scale and packager, then placed in cold storage until they are shipped.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="USA Today 1" />
The white blush sometimes visible on the surface of "baby-cut" carrots is caused by dehydration of the cut surface. "Baby-cut" carrots are more prone to develop this because their entire surface area is a cut surface. Low-temperature, high-humidity storage can minimize the white appearance.<ref name="carrotmuseum" /><ref name="Snopes carrot" />
=== Marketing ===
In September 2010, a marketing initiative was launched in the [[United States]] by a group of nearly 50 carrot producers led by [[Bolthouse Farms]] (calling themselves "A Bunch of Carrot Farmers") that sought to promote baby-cut carrots as an alternative to [[junk food]] — "Eat'em Like Junk Food". The campaign mimicked tactics typically employed by snack food marketers, including snack-food-like packaging; futuristic, sexual, and extreme sports-themed TV commercials; carrot vending machines in schools; and an [[iPhone]] game and website.<ref name="USA Today 2">{{cite news | last=Horvitz | first=Bruce | title=Baby Carrots Take On Junk Food with Hip Marketing Campaign | work=USA Today | url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-08-29-baby-carrots-marketing_N.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109033452/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-08-29-baby-carrots-marketing_N.htm | archive-date=November 9, 2020 | url-status=dead | date=September 3, 2010}}</ref>
== References ==
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