Just like the story of the ugly duckling, there's always at least one funny-looking little baby carrot no one wants to touch. An unappealing little carrot with a mysterious white coating on it might be completely safe to eat, but it is definitely not as appetizing as a well-washed and chopped carrot stick. Is it genetics that makes some carrots develop that odd white film, or does that white stuff mean the carrot is past its expiration and we're all actually ingesting a fungus? Does it mean you're not ? Or, could it be something with a cute name like carrot blush? Yes, actually that's exactly what it is.
Carrot blush is what many call the white film that develops on baby carrots. This must be why Bugs Bunny is always walking around with a full-sized carrot instead of holding a little Ziplock baggie filled with baby carrots. The iconic bunny might know what's really up, (Doc).
But rather than rely on the wisdom of a cartoon character it might be better, for the sake of snack time, for us to figure out what's really going on with baby carrots. These veggie snacks can be perfectly safe to eat despite their visual flaws. Why baby carrots get a white film Let's get one thing straight before we start discussing why baby carrots start to look old and dried out with a white film over them.
Baby carrots are not actually babies waiting to grow into adult-sized carrots. The bags of baby carrots you purchase at the grocery store are manufactured in that they are cut from larger full-size.
