There is one very interesting fact which few people are familiar with: America is one of the biggest importers of food worldwide. Even though food comes from all parts of the world, we mostly import it from China.
After the speculations that there was fake rice on the market, follows a rumor about garlic full with chemicals which is spreading on the market as well.
The belief that our garlic comes from California is definitely wrong, as America has been importing around 138 million pounds of garlic only over the past year. Although the organic garlic comes from China, we cannot know for sure if it is organic indeed.
The process of growing and fertilization results in bleached Chinese garlic and filled with chemicals. This garlic is sprayed with various pesticides and toxic chemicals so that the insects get killed off, the sprouting stops and the garlic itself whitens.
There are reports that the garlic is grown in untreated sewage and that human sewage is used during the process of fertilization. According to Henry Bell, member of the Australian Garlic Industry, this kind of garlic is likely to contain bacteria and the Australian quarantine regulations are not that great.
As he further explains, the Chinese methyl bromide fumigation process is very unclear and even suspicious. The bromide fumigation is used for the purpose of killing bugs and pesticides.
It is highly toxic chemical and once it enters the human`s bloodstream, it results in problems with respiratory system and the central nervous system. As shown by the UN data, this chemical is up to 60 times more dangerous that chlorine.
In addition to this, the Chinese garlic contains sulfites, lead, and other harmful compounds which may trigger many health issues and diseases. Moreover, it is treated with growth inhibitors, kept in extremely cold temperatures and over-storage.
All of these factors contribute to significant decrease in the health benefits of the main component of garlic, known as allicin. Luckily, this garlic can be noticed and avoided. Some of the main things that differentiate between the Chinese and Californian garlic are the following:
- American garlic is more flavorful and tastier
- Californian garlic is heavier than Chinese garlic
- True organic garlic has some roots left at the bottom
