Author : Hari Yellina CEO at Suvarnabhoomi Pty Ltd Australia

The large, white bulbs of garlic so readily available on our supermarket shelves are generally imported – often from China.

Chinese agricultural practice still uses chemicals that have been banned here in Australia to grow garlic. The imported product is just that, so has been picked for quite a while before it gets here, has probably been in cold storage for some time and therefore treated with some sort of growth retardant to stop it from sprouting, has been sprayed with methyl bromide ( a highly toxic substance that is also proven to be 45 times more effective at destroying the ozone layer than chlorine) by AQIS and is that lovely, clean, white colour because it has been bleached with chlorine!

• Garlic from China can be grown in untreated sewage 
• Imported garlic has often been whitened using chlorine (or a mixture of sulphur and wood ash) to make it look more cosmetically appealing

• Imported garlic has often been treated with growth inhibitors (made from hormones or chemicals) to stop it sprouting. It may also have been treated with gamma irradiation to artificially extend the shelf life of garlic. 
• Australia also requires that all garlic regardless of origin is fumigated with methyl bromide at entry to Australia. Methyl bromide depletes the ozone layer and if inhaled or absorbed through the skin is toxic to humans. 
• The age of the garlic also affects its potency. Chinese garlic may not have the same punch in your food (or possible health benefits) as Australian garlic.

Due to chemical treatment for various things, it carries with it a foul after taste that is not desireable. We at Suvarnabhoomi Pty Ltd Australia constantly need to double check with OUR suppliers to make sure they are not using Chinese garlic in our products due to its low cost. We want only the BEST, locally grown, Australian garlic to maintain our high standards.

The second picture is of Australian garlic. It has been grown here so has not been sprayed as all the imported varieties must be, is grown under Australian regulated conditions and is unbleached and certainly less travelled! The Australian garlic industry has struggled in the past. Most of us had never tasted it before the influx of post-war migrants started to invigorate our bland, colonial cuisine and until recently growers here have been held back by poor seed quality and competition from cheaper, large scale imports. 

Hari Yellina is CEO and Researcher at Suvarnabhoomi Pty Ltd Australia.