I bought these at the same time, and tried several of each side by side multiple times. My expectation was that there would be no difference. I don't share the common idea that organic produce is better than non-organic. Quite the opposite, in fact; I prefer the lower cost of non-organic, I think non-organics are probably better for the environment overall, and I don't think there is any consistent advantage either way in taste or quality. (Watch this old episode of Penn & Teller's "Bullshit!" for an overview.)
But I have to admit that several times I have directly compared organic and non-organic versions of products from Trader Joe's, and most often I have found the organic superior. These baby carrots continue that trend. Without question, the organic ones were sweeter and more flavorful. Of course, it's entirely possible that this was just a random batch-to-batch variation, and that repeating the test another time would produce different results.
I suspect the two products come from different suppliers, because the organic ones are cut to be fatter, and it seems unlikely that one supplier would cut them differently. I preferred that cut, in addition to the taste advantage.
Will I buy it again?
The organic, yes; non-organic, no.
My budget dictates that I’m very selective about what produce i buy organic, generally i use the “dirty dozen” list as a guide. And although carrots are not on that list i agree that the organic baby carrots- or the organic larger carrots- are significantly more delicious! Same results from other brands at other stores as well.
ReplyDeleteI snack on them daily- my favorite combo is to have a baby carrot with a thin pretzel stick at the same time, it’s a great crunchy crispy salted sweet combo and makes for a filling low cal snack.
Ttrockwood