WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Rick Scott sent letters to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Trade Representative (USTR) and Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) to investigate the food safety of garlic grown in Communist China following reports that the garlic is being grown in human sewage, then bleached and harvested in abhorrent conditions often involving slave and child labor.

In his letter to the USDA, Senator Scott expresses concerns over the importation of garlic from Communist China, as well as the lack of proper oversight from the agency inspectors of all consumables coming from Communist China which leaves American families vulnerable to low-quality food products. In his letter to USTR, Senator Scott is requesting the initiation of a Section 301 investigation into garlic grown in Communist China to determine if the country’s trade practices are unfair or harmful to U.S. commerce. The letter highlights China’s unethical labor and trade practices through their use of forced labor and evading tariffs. Finally, in his letter to ILAB, Senator Scott is requesting the bureau to include garlic from Communist China in its next investigation when publishing its List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, which is updated biennially.

Senator Scott has been sounding the alarm on the dangers of goods grown and produced in Communist China, and has previously introduced the SEWAGE GARLIC Imports Act to address the growth practices and safety of garlic produced in Communist China for human consumption.

 Read the full letters HERE.

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