An alarming report came by this week about how garlic is treated and grown in China. I also use a lot of garlic myself because it is so good for your health. Unfortunately, I still have to buy them at the supermarket. I think everyone should read this post and know what you're buying with the cheap garlic from China. Judge for yourself: Below the translated message from English into Dutch.
The photo above is of Carla Glory of dedansendeboom.nl and his organic garlic that we will plant in the district garden greenalphen.com the coming year.
Your garlic is imported from China, made with bleach and chemicals
Garlic, one of the healthiest and most popular foods on the planet. There is no denial of the wonderful health benefits that garlic has, it is a traditional remedy for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even colds.
But there's something about garlic that you probably do not know, more than 80% of the garlic sold worldwide comes from China. Last year, the US alone imported £138 million. Although most consumers assume that their garlic was grown in California, the “garlic capital of the world”, it was actually shipped from China. Even “organic” garlic is often imported from China, where organic certification can not be trusted.
Chinese garlic is bleached. According to Henry Bell of the Australian Garlic Industry Association, garlic from China is sprayed with chemicals to stop germination, white garlic, and to kill insects and plant material. He also reports that garlic is grown in untreated sewage, “Bell also questions some growth practices in China.
“I'm sure some garlic growers there use raw human waste water to fertilize their crops, and I don't believe Australian quarantine regulations are strict enough when it comes to testing bacteria on imported products,” he says. “I also challenge the effectiveness of the Chinese methyl bromidegassing processes.”
Chinese garlic is heavily sprayed with methyl bromide to remove any insects. Methylbromide is a highly toxic chemical. Exposure to high concentrations can cause damage to the respiratory and central nervous system, even death. According to the UN, it is 60 times more harmful than chlorine and is the basis of CFCS.
Garlic from China is also sprayed with lead, sulfates and other unsafe compounds.
So the next time you are in the supermarket, you may want to think about this article. Fortunately, Chinese garlic is easy to see.
Californian garlic has some roots on the bottom and is heavier than imported garlic.
