经济学人:欧洲多国陷马肉风波 食品安全谁来保障?

 　　Britain The horse-meat scandal

　　英国 马肉风波

　　And the winner is

　　谁是赢家？

　　What horse-shy consumers are eating instead

　　不吃马肉的消费者他们还可以吃什么？

　　On the face of it, local butchers and vegetarianism² have little in common. But—upholding the principle that every crisis helps someone—both have been buoyed³ by the recent discovery, in Britain and elsewhere, of horse meat in dishes supposedly made of beef.

　　乍看起来，当地的屠夫和素食主义者之间没有什么共通之处。但是，——根据“每次危机发生都会有人受益”的原则看来——最近的一项调查发现对屠夫和素食主义者都十分有益。即在英国及其他一些地区发现餐盘里的肉类是马肉而不是应当出现的牛肉。

　　欧洲多国陷马肉风波.png

　　A poll by ComRes, a market-research agency, showed that 7% of respondents had stopped eating meat altogether as a result of the equine scandal. Another survey by Consumer Intelligence, a research firm, found that 6% knew someone who had become vegetarian¹ in reaction to the reports. Holland and Barrett, a health-food chain, reported increased sales in its soya and tofu lines in early February. A meat-free Sunday roast was particularly popular, with sales up by 50%, while vegetarian meatballs had jumped by 30%.

　　由一家市场调查机构ComRes进行的民意调查显示，由于马肉风波，有7%的调查对象表示他们已经连肉都不吃了。由另一家调查公司Customer Intelligence进行的一项调查发现，面对马肉风波的报道，有6%的调查对象表示他们了解到有人因此而变成了素食主义者。一家健康食品连锁店Holland Barrett报道称，自本月初始，豆类制品的销量有大幅提升。一种无肉的周末烧烤最近特别流行，其消费量增长了50%，同时素肉丸的销量也上升了30%。

　　But other consumers are buying better meat, rather than giving it up. The National Federation⁴ of Meat and Food Traders reports a 15% increase in sales at independent butchers—which often specify⁵ the source of their meat, and butcher it on site. Sales of beef burgers and mince⁶ have leapt 30%. “Health scares are always good for us,” says Brindon Addy, owner of a shop inYorkshireand chairman of the Q Guild⁷, an organisation⁸ of 120 local butchers.

　　但有其他的消费者正在购买了一些更高品质的肉类，而不是放弃吃肉。英国肉类及食品贸易联盟（The National Federation of Meat and Food Traders）报道称，传统肉铺的销售量上升了15%，商铺里的屠夫通常会详细说明肉类的来源，并且当场屠宰。牛肉汉堡和牛肉饼的销售量攀升了30%。一位约克郡的店主，同时也是Q协会（一个由120位当地屠夫构成的组织）主席的布雷顿·艾迪（Brindon Addy）表示，“对健康问题产生恐慌通常是对我们有益的。”

　　The other thing that veggies and artisan butchers have in common is their rarity. The Vegetarian Society estimates that only 2% of Britons are stringent⁹ non-meat-eaters (a figure that is set to quadruple if the recent trend proves lasting). For their part, independent butchers are increasingly scarce on the high street: their numbers have fallen by 57% since 1990, to just over 6,000 nationwide. But whether the boost to either will endure after the horse furore recedes¹⁰ is doubtful. Recalling his customers’ attitudes after the “mad cow disease” outbreak 17 years ago, Mr Addy gloomily observes that, “after three months, they slope back to supermarkets.”

　　另一个素食主义者和传统屠夫间有共同点的地方就是他们都很稀有。《素食者协会》杂志估算过，只有2%的英国人是严格意义上的不食肉者。（假如最近的趋势得以延续，这个数据将会翻4倍）。站在传统屠夫的角度来看，他们越来越害怕走向高端市场：自1990年开始，传统肉铺的数量下降了57%，全国肉铺数量也只是刚过6000家。但是，在马肉风波引起的公愤平息之后，这种传统屠宰店的热潮是否能够持续下去，仍难下定论。在“疯牛病”事件爆发的17年后，这次危机再次唤回了消费者对传统屠宰店的关注，但艾迪仍沮丧地表示“三个月后，消费者又将回到超市购物。”

　　1.On the face of it 乍一看；表面看来

　　例句:On the face of it, their marriage seems an improbable alliance.

　　表面上看，他们的婚姻似乎是个荒谬的结合。

　　2.market-research 市场调研

　　例句:And utilities around the world lose between 25% and 50% of treated water to leaks, according to Lux Research, a market-research firm.

　　根据勒克斯市场研究公司的研究，由于渗漏，全世界的公用事业机构浪费了25%到50%的净化水。

　　3.as a result of 因此；由于

　　例句:Her hair started falling out as a result of radiation treatment.

　　由于放疗，她开始掉头发。

　　4.on site 现场；就地

　　例句:It is cheaper to have extra building work done when the builder is on site.

　　建筑工在现场干活时，让他额外做工的话工钱会便宜一些。

1 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

2 vegetarianism   

n.素食，素食主义

参考例句：

• More and more people are believing in vegetarianism and diet for health. 而今越来越多的人们相信素食和节食有利于身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is an exponent of vegetarianism. 她是一个素食主义的倡导者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 buoyed   

v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神

参考例句：

• Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success. 在昨天胜利的鼓舞下，该队有信心再次获胜。
• His encouragement buoyed her up during that difficult period. 他的鼓励使她在那段困难时期恢复了乐观的情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

6 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

7 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

8 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

9 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

10 recedes   

v.逐渐远离( recede的第三人称单数 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• For this reason the near point gradually recedes as one grows older. 由于这个原因，随着人渐渐变老，近点便逐渐后退。 来自辞典例句
• Silent, mournful, abandoned, broken, Czechoslovakia recedes into the darkness. 缄默的、悲哀的、被抛弃的、支离破碎的捷克斯洛伐克，已在黑暗之中。 来自辞典例句