Much of the garlic sold in UK supermarkets is grown outside of our country, despite being very suited to our climate and easy to grow.
Not only that but the further away it’s imported from the greater the incidence of growth inhibitors used.
High percentage of global garlic grown in China (around 500,000 tonnes, including much of the UK market, and this is treated.
Garlic produced in Yongnian County, in Handan, Hebei, the centre of garlic production, is often sprayed by two illegal pesticides called prorate and parathion.
Garlic can sit in storage for over 1 year before you actually eat it. Buying garlic that has been sitting this long means that you aren’t getting the beneficial compounds, like allicin, which is the main thing in garlic that makes it one of the most powerful antibiotics in the world. https://atchisonfarmers.market/2018/10/12/a-word-about-garlic-from-china/
Not only with growth inhibitors but growth inducing hormones earlier in the cycle
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/752/1/012049/pdf
80% global garlic consumption Comes from China
It may be also treated with methyl bromide to kill bugs, a highly toxic chemical and bleached to improve its look.
EU response when questioned
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2018-005257_EN.htmlhttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2018-005257_EN.html
