Do you have the right Garlic in your kitchen cabinet or is it a poisonous?

It has never crossed my mind that garlic is bleached. However, a friend asked me about garlic, and I wanted to get the bottom of this. 

A large portion of the imported garlic seems to come from China. Reports run rampant of garlic from China being bleached in chlorine, fumigated in pesticides, grown in untreated sewage water, and even contaminated with lead. The bleach in particular is used to cover up dirt spots, even though they’re perfectly natural, to attract you to buy them over other varieties of garlic. This practice comes with a price. 

According to the Australian Garlic Industry Association‘s Henry Bell, while bleaching kills insects, prevents sprouting, and helps whiten the bulb, garlic that is bleached is also fumigated with a dangerous toxin called methyl bromide. When taken in high doses, methyl bromide can cause central nervous system and respiratory problems. 

According to the UN, it’s 60 times more dangerous than chlorine—so the lower cost is not worth the risk. The next time you want to purchase garlic, choose brands that are locally grown or more natural looking. I hope that after reading this, you'll be more cautious when purchasing garlic.