2021年12月六级第2套仔细阅读 Passage 2 原文翻译及答案解析

In recent years, the food industry has increased its use of labels. Whether the labels say 'non-GMO (非转基因的)' or 'no sugar', or 'zero carbohydrates', consumers are increasingly demanding more information about what's in their food. One report found that 39 percent of consumers would switch from the brands they currently buy to others that provide clearer, more accurate product information. Food manufacturers are responding to the report with new labels to meet that demand, and they're doing so with an eye towards giving their products an advantage over the competition, and bolstering profits.

近年来，食品行业增加了标签的使用。无论标签上写着“非转基因”、“无糖”还是“零碳水化合物”，消费者对食品成分信息的需求日益增长。一份报告发现，39%的消费者会从目前购买的品牌转向提供更清晰、更准确产品信息的其他品牌。食品制造商正通过推出新标签来满足这一需求，他们这样做是为了使自己的产品在竞争中占据优势，并增加利润。

This strategy makes intuitive sense. If consumers say they want transparency, tell them exactly what is in your product. That is simply supplying a certain demand. But the marketing strategy in response to this consumer demand has gone beyond articulating what is in a product, to labeling what is NOT in the food. These labels are known as "absence claims" labels, and they represent an emerging labeling trend that is detrimental both to the consumers who purchase the products and the industry that supplies them.

这种策略在直觉上是有道理的。如果消费者要求透明，就告诉他们产品中到底有什么。这仅仅是满足某种需求。但响应这种消费者需求的营销策略已经超出了阐述产品成分的范围，转而标注食品中不含什么。这些标签被称为“缺失声明”标签，它们代表了一种新兴的标签趋势，对购买产品的消费者和供应产品的行业都有害。

For example, Hun's put a "non-GMO" label on its canned crushed tomatoes a few years ago—despite the fact that at the time there was no such thing as a GMO tomato on the market. Some dairy companies are using the "non-GMO" label on their milk, despite the fact that all milk is naturally GMO-free, another label that creates unnecessary fear around food.

例如，Hun's几年前在其罐装碎番茄上贴上了“非转基因”标签——尽管当时市场上根本没有转基因番茄。一些乳制品公司在其牛奶上使用“非转基因”标签，尽管所有牛奶天然就是非转基因的，这又是一个在食品周围制造不必要恐惧的标签。

While creating labels that play on consumer fears and misconceptions about their food may give a company a temporary marketing advantage over competing products on the grocery aisle, in the long term this strategy will have just the opposite effect: by injecting fear into the discourse about our food, we run the risk of eroding consumer trust in not just a single product, but the entire food business.

虽然利用消费者对食品的恐惧和误解来创建标签可能会让公司在杂货店货架上的竞争产品中获得暂时的营销优势，但从长远来看，这种策略会产生相反的效果：通过在食品讨论中注入恐惧，我们不仅可能侵蚀消费者对单一产品的信任，还可能损害整个食品行业的信任。

Eventually, it becomes a question in consumers' minds: Were these foods ever safe? By purchasing and consuming these types of products, have I already done some kind of harm to my family or the planet? For food manufacturers, it will mean damaged consumer trust and lower sales for everyone. And this isn't just supposition. A recent study found that absence claims labels can create a stigma around foods even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm.

最终，消费者心中会产生这样的疑问：这些食品曾经安全吗？通过购买和消费这类产品，我已经对我的家人或地球造成了某种伤害吗？对食品制造商来说，这将意味着消费者信任受损和每个人的销售额下降。这不仅仅是假设。最近的一项研究发现，即使没有科学证据表明食品有害，缺失声明标签也会在食品周围制造污名。

It's clear that food manufacturers must tread carefully when it comes to using absence claims. In addition to the likely negative long-term impact on sales, this verbal trick sends a message that innovations in farming and food processing are unwelcome, eventually leading to less efficiency, fewer choices for consumers, and ultimately, more costly food products. If we allow this kind of labeling to continue, we will all lose.

显然，食品制造商在使用缺失声明时必须谨慎行事。除了可能对销售产生长期负面影响外，这种文字技巧传递了一个信息：农业和食品加工的创新不受欢迎，最终导致效率降低、消费者选择减少，以及更昂贵的食品产品。如果我们允许这种标签继续下去，我们都会输。