VOA慢速英语--让本地特色食物更有营养

Making Local Food More Nutritious¹

About one in three people worldwide eats food that fills them up but lacks protein, vitamins and minerals.

Health experts have a name for this situation: “hidden hunger.” It can lead to weakness in the body’s natural defenses against disease. It can also limit a person’s growth and affect intelligence.

Now, the founders³ of an American food manufacturer are putting technology and financial resources to work to address the problem. They are looking for ways to make low-cost, traditional meals more nutritious. And, at the same time, make sure that people will like the taste.

The company, called Just, is based in San Francisco, only a short drive from California’s Silicon⁴ Valley.

Just is best known for making products such as plant-based mayonnaise, cookie dough⁵ and salad dressings⁶. These foods can be found at supermarkets in the United States.

The company is now working in Liberia, where 30 percent of the population suffers from poor nutrition.

Just is partnering with local manufacturers and suppliers to make a product called Power Gari. It is based on the cassava plant, a common ingredient in Liberian cooking. The mixture for Power Gari turns the starchy cassava into a nutritious, soft food filled with vitamins and minerals. It has 12 grams of protein and, thanks to locally-produced red palm oil and salt, a taste many people find appealing.

In January, Power Gari began appearing at stores in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. The product has six ingredients. Just says more than 80 percent of them are from local suppliers. The company gave a Liberian manufacturer permission to make Power Gari. The manufacturer works with local suppliers to meet food safety rules.

“Our goal here is to build a better food system in Liberia and that means we are hands-on,” says Taylor Quinn, director of emerging markets for Just. He lives in Monrovia.

Over the past two years, Quinn has carried ingredients from Liberia to San Francisco for the company’s scientists and others to study. It is sometimes difficult to get the local taste right, Quinn noted⁸. He added, “The cassava – or the sugar, or whatever it may be that we're using in northern Liberia – is different than what we can get access to here in the office.”

The company is continually changing the manufacturing directions for the product, Quinn added.

A 50-gram serving of Power Gari costs about five cents for the wholesale⁹ product served in schools. In stores, it sells for about 15 cents per serving.

One of the most difficult problems for Quinn is to find out what works best in Liberia. When it came to the machinery¹⁰ used at the factory of Just’s manufacturing partner, he wanted a mixing machine made in Liberia that can work without electricity. He found a local manufacturer who made the machines for about $800 and can do repairs, if needed.

When the power first went out during production, the workers started producing the mixture with a hand crank. “After a few minutes of hand cranking, it was perfect,” Quinn said.

The true proof of Power Gari’s success will be if Liberians buy it. The company says it looked to Liberia as a test case before thinking about expanding to bigger markets, such as Nigeria or Kenya.

The goal, says company founder² Josh Tetrick, is nothing less than solving the world’s unjust food system.

“Why are we not approaching this with the kind of ferocity that high growth companies bring to their own operations?" he asked.

Just has raised more than $200 million from investors¹¹ and is valued at over $1 billion. The company has made changes in its leadership recently to add directors with international business, agriculture and sustainability experience.

I’m Dorothy Gundy and I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

resource – n. a supply of something that can be used when it is needed

ingredient – n. one of the substances used to make a mixture

emerging – adj. newly created; developing

access – n. permission or ability to enter something

starchy – adj. containing starch⁷; serious in behavior

crank – n. a machine part that can be turned in a circle to move something

approach – v. to move or become nearer to something

ferocity – n. the quality of being very fierce

1 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

4 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

5 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

6 dressings   

n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料

参考例句：

• He always made sure that any cuts were protected by sterile dressings. 他总是坚持要用无菌纱布包扎伤口。 来自辞典例句
• I waked the orderly and he poured mineral water on the dressings. 我喊醒勤务，他在我的绷带上倒了些矿质水。 来自辞典例句

7 starch   

n.淀粉；vt.给...上浆

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews.玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。
• I think there's too much starch in their diet.我看是他们的饮食里淀粉太多了。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

10 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会