When I’m home my family and I shop at a local farmers market where we buy local produce in the summer months. For some reason (Freudian I guess) I shy away from stuff from say Ecuador or any SA country. I don’t know how what they fertilize with there. But then, local organic farmers use animal manure which in all probability contains e-coli. But we wash them pretty good.
You shouldn’t be afraid to buy south of the border produce. The American SW is our largest market area for freight & thus we know the process it goes through before it enters the states. The majority of the produce that comes from south of the border is from US produce giants, not foreign entities. Thus the product is heavily regulated by the USDA prior to entering the US. Take it up with DC & the AG Dept as to why the south of the border produce fields are replacing the American SW fields. But do not blame the American companies for taking advantage of politically friendlier growing regions/countries. The central Cali valley in some areas is becoming a wasteland thanks to govt regulation. Well, that and the enviromentalists & animal rights activists whom they worship.