Believe it or not, the garlic you buy from the grocery store or is in the food you get at a restaurant is probably from China.
This is an awful thing!
According to Epoch Times, “64,876 tons of dried, fresh, or chilled garlic, were imported from China in 2014… About a third of the garlic in the United States comes from China.”
Our garlic isn’t coming from California anymore, it is being imported from China. Quality control is a big issue, but it pales in comparison to how and where this garlic is grown.
Many Chinese farmers use pesticides that are illegal to use for farming purposes in China. “An undercover magazine reporter investigating in the area found that many vegetable farmers used phorate and parathion, two pesticides banned by the government, to irrigate the crops to save time and effort.” Both phorate and parathion have been labeled HIGHLY TOXIC POISONS.
China’s pollution problem and soil is also a cause for concern. “An official government report in 2014 showed that nearly a fifth of China’s soil is contaminated by heavy metals like cadmium and arsenic as well as unhealthy amounts of pesticides and fertilizers. Severe pollution has tainted all of China’s major rivers with large amounts of industrial chemicals and household waste.”
How to Spot Chinese Garlic
Everyone should be worried about consuming garlic from China. It just is not safe. So when buying garlic at a grocery store, look for these things:
- If it has roots and a stem, it is safe. China will cut these off before they ship them to save weight.
- Safe garlic is heavier and more bulbous. Imported garlic from China is lighter.
- Garlic with a richer taste is more likely from California and not imported from China. According to Food Reference, California-grown garlic measured a 40 out of 40 in brix flavor measurement while Chinese garlic only measured 28 out of 40.
However, the best way to make sure you are eating safe garlic is to buy from local farmers or grow it yourself.
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