Know Where Your Garlic Comes From

One of the most popular additions to our food is garlic.  We can buy whole bulbs, or peeled garlic or crushed garlic in oil.  Many of us buy the whole garlic in jars for its convenience.  Until now, I never thought about where the garlic came from and who might have suffered to get it to market.  After watching the Netflix documentary, Rotten, season 1 episode 3, I have much to think about.

About 1/3 of garlic available to Americans is from China.  This may have changed since tariffs on Chinese goods have gone into effect.  The peeled garlic that you see in the vegetable section of the supermarket very likely comes from China.  The Chinese use forced labor, prisoners, who are required to work 15-16 hours per day, seven days a week, to peel the garlic.  After a short time the prisoners thumbs are completely trashed and can no longer do the job.  The workers must then use their teeth to peel the garlic.  In addition, China does not have the high standards we have for production, and allow bleach and toxic pesticides to be used to create a very white garlic, with no stems or sprouts.

I can't even imagine what the Chinese workers endure.  I will not be buying peeled garlic in the future unless it is from a local farmer, and I know it was peeled locally.  The best way to make sure that you do not buy peeled garlic from China is first and foremost, to grow it yourself or to buy it fresh at a local farmers market.  If peeled garlic has stems and sprouts removed, it is likely from China.  Also, if the garlic is very white, it has probably been bleached.

Gilroy farmers are esctatic over the Trump tariffs, as less garlic is being imported from China.  This is good for consumers too, as they are less likely to eat garlic that has been sprayed with toxic chemicals.  The tariffs won't last forever, and sooner or later peeled Chinese garlic will dominate the market again.  It's best to buy whole garlic bulbs from local farmers market, and peel them yourself.  It's a little more work, but it makes me feel I'm doing the right thing in not contributing to the profits of a company that treats its workers inhumanely.

By the way, it is very difficult to find out the origin of many food items.  Foreign companies have American distributors.  Fish and meat have specific numbers that identify the country of origin, but I'm not so sure about bottled products.