VOA慢速英語: 對糖征稅？

A Tax on Sugar?

FILE - Sugar-sweetened drinks in a store's refrigerator, Feb. 20, 2013

對糖征稅？

世界衛(wèi)生組織稱世界各國的人們攝入越來越多的糖分。結(jié)果，與肥胖以及牙病相關(guān)的疾病在增長。含糖份的食物和飲料會腐蝕牙齒、導(dǎo)致骨骼脆弱。The World Health Organization says people around the world are eating more sugar. As a result, it says, health problems related to weight gain and tooth damage are increasing. Sugary foods and drinks cause tooth decay, weakening the bone.

The WHO finds that, on average, the amount of sugar in the foods we eat has risen about 10 percent over the past 10 years. But it has risen at a faster rate in some areas. In the Middle East and North Africa, sugar intake has risen about 15 percent over the past 10 years. In some Asian and Pacific countries, sugar intake is 20 percent higher.

世界衛(wèi)生組織發(fā)現(xiàn)，過去10年，我們飲食中的含糖量增加了10%。在一些地區(qū)，這一比例以較快的速度增長。在中東和北非地區(qū)，糖分攝入比例在過去10年里增長了15%。在一些亞洲和太平洋國家，糖分攝入高達20%。

And in South America, people eat more sugar than anywhere else in the world. Francesco Branca is director of the WHO's Department of Nutrition for Health.

在南美，人們吃的糖要比世界上任何一個地方都要多。弗朗西斯科·布蘭卡是世界衛(wèi)生組織營養(yǎng)健康部的部長。

"In South America, we have approximately 130 grams per person, per day, so much more than twice the WHO recommendation, but we also have some parts of the world where the intake is still low. It is within the WHO recommendations, such as what is happening in Equatorial and Southern Africa, where it is about 30 grams per person, per day."

“在南美，每個人每天大概會吃掉130克的糖，超過世界衛(wèi)生組織建議的份量的兩倍多。但是世界上一些地區(qū)攝入的糖分仍然很低。世界衛(wèi)生組織建議，赤道附近和南非地區(qū)，每人每天大概攝入30克糖。”

Mr. Branca says reducing how much sugar you eat can be difficult because so many cooks and food-makers add sugar. He says researchers found that 80 percent of the food items in U.S. markets included some kind of sugar.

布蘭卡表示：到底減少多少分量的糖分很困難，因為很多食物都加糖。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)美國市場上80%的食品中都含有一些糖分。

"Just to give you an example, an average size bowl of breakfast cerealcontains four teaspoons of free sugars. If you go for a U.S.-size can of soda that contains 10 teaspoons of free sugars."

“舉例子來說，平均每碗早餐麥片中大概包含4小勺游離糖。如果你去找一罐美國的蘇打，其中游離糖含量大概有10小勺。”

The WHO is calling on governments to take measures to reduce how much sugar people eat. It proposes taxing products with a lot of sugar and requiring food-makers to list how much sugar can be found in their products. Another proposal is to restrict marketing of sugary foods and drinks to children.

世界衛(wèi)生組織呼吁政府采取措施減少人們攝入糖分。建議對一些含糖量高的食品征收稅，并且要求食物生產(chǎn)商列出他們產(chǎn)品中的含糖量。另一項提議是控制市場上針對兒童的含糖量食物和飲料。

However, the United Nations agency says it is fine to eat foods that naturally have sugar, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and even milk.

但是，聯(lián)合國機構(gòu)表示食用天然含有糖分的食物，例如：新鮮水果、蔬菜甚至牛奶都是很不錯的選擇。

I'm Jim Tedder.

我是吉米·泰德。

This report was based on a story from reporter Lisa Schlein in Geneva. Kelly Jean Kelly wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

breakfast cereals - n. foods made from grain that people often eat as the first meal of the day. Cereal is usually eaten in a bowl with milk.

sugary - adj. tasting like sugar or containing a lot of sugar

intake – n. a food, drink or other substance taken in; the act of taking in (eating, drinking or swallowing)