Soup, Now With Spherical Carrots

So I love Panera Bread.  I can never decide what to get because I want one of everything on the menu.  Today, I tried the seasonal soup, which was Chicken Stew with a cheddar scone-like biscuit.  It was really delicious and filling, and perfect for fall, but as I was eating I noticed something odd: the carrots were spheres.  Are they pressed together bits of carrots, like a chicken nugget concoction but in vegetable form, or did someone use a melon baller on a bag of carrots? Perplexing, but still tasty...