Cheap smuggled Chinese garlic is undercutting growers in Mexico and Peru, bad for local farmers and risky for shoppers, but good for anyone buying on price alone.

• China grows 80% of the world's garlic, and state subsidies push its costs far below what other countries can match.
• Mexican and Peruvian growers say illegal Chinese garlic is pouring in and driving local prices down.
• The smuggled garlic skips customs and plant-health checks, so no one knows what chemicals were used or how it was handled.
• Local garlic carries food-safety certification and traceable records; the smuggled product carries none.
• Industry people spoke only anonymously, fearing payback, because the garlic moves along the same border routes as other illegal goods.

Outlook: Growers want tighter border checks and traceability rules, but as long as the price gap with Asia stays this wide the smuggling is likely to continue.