VOA慢速英语：包装越来越小，价格却越来越贵
VOA慢速英语：包装越来越小，价格却越来越贵
In the United States, India, Britain and Japan, people are starting to see smaller containers and higher prices for food.
在美国、印度、英国和日本，大家开始注意到食物的包装变小，价格却变高。
The cost increases are affecting snack food, cheese, drinks, soaps and more.
价格上涨还涉及到零食、奶酪、饮料、肥皂等。
Economic experts say the changes in package sizes are a result of inflation.They call it "shrinkflation".
经济专家称，包装大小的变化是通货膨胀的结果。他们称之为“缩水式通货膨胀”。
In the U.S., a popular kind of facial paper once had 65 sheets in each box, now it has 60.A container of yogurt that once had 150 grams now has about 125 grams.In Britain, a kind of coffee once had 100 grams in each package.It now has 90 grams.In India, a kind of soap is smaller by 20 grams.
在美国，一种流行的面巾纸原来是每盒65张，现在是每盒60张。曾经150克一盒的酸奶现在缩水到125克。在英国，有一种咖啡原来是每包100克，现在是每包90克。在印度，一种肥皂的重量减少了20克。
In some cases, people who buy these products are getting less for the same price.Some are seeing higher prices for smaller packages.Experts say the move by food companies is not new, but it is common in times of inflation.
还有另外的情况，购买这些产品的人花了同样的钱得到的东西却变少。有些人注意到，较小包装的商品价格更高。专家表示，食品公司此举并不新鲜，在通货膨胀时期很常见。
Around the world, people paid on average seven percent more for goods in May than they did the year before.A company that researches prices, S&P Global, said people should expect the inflation rate to stay the same at least until September.
在世界范围内，5月份人们购买商品花的钱平均比去年高出7%。一家研究价格的公司——标普全球表示，通货膨胀率预计至少在9月份之前不再变化。
Edgar Dworsky is a former lawyer for the American state of Massachusetts.He runs a website called Consumer World.He noted that price increases and smaller packaging "comes in waves".He added, "We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment."
埃德加·德沃斯基曾是美国马萨诸塞州的一名律师。他经营着一家名为“消费者世界”的网站。他指出，价格上涨和包装变小“一波接一波地来”。他补充说：“我们此刻恰好处于这波浪潮之中。”
Dworsky said he started seeing smaller food containers last autumn.He notes coffee containers have less coffee and bathroom paper has fewer sheets.
德沃斯基说他从去年秋天开始注意到食品包装变小。他指出，咖啡包装里的咖啡变少了，卫生纸的张数变少了。
Many companies that make these goods create smaller packagesbut also change the words on them to make them seem new or better, Dworsky said.
“许多生产这些商品的公司设计出更小的包装，但这些公司也会改变包装上面的文字，让这些更小的包装看起来更新颖或更美观。”德沃斯基说。
One kind of corn snack made by PepsiCo is called Fritos.They recently had a "party size" bag that contained about 510 grams.New packages are still called "party size", but now they only have 439 grams.PepsiCo did not answer questions about the new size when asked by the Associated Press.But the company did say the bottles for a drink called Gatorade were made smallerso people could hold them more easily, not because of inflation.
百事公司生产的一种玉米零食叫菲乐多。这种零食最近出过“派对装”大小的袋子，约装510克。新包装仍然被称为“派对装”，但现在它们只有439克。百事可乐在美联社询问时没有回答有关新尺寸的问题。但该公司确实表示，佳得乐饮料的瓶子被做得更小，是因为这样人们就能更方便地拿着，而不是出于通货膨胀的原因。
Large consumer goods companies Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble also did not answer questions.
大型消费品公司金佰利和宝洁也没有回答有关新尺寸包装的问题。
But in Japan, the company that makes snacks called Calbee saidthe cost of materials was responsible for a price increase of 10 percent and a size decrease of 10 percent.Calbee makes soy and vegetable snacks.
但在日本，一家叫做卡乐比的零食公司表示，原材料成本是导致商品价格上涨10%、数量减少10%的原因。卡乐比主要生产豆制品零食和蔬菜零食。
In India, Dabur India has been open about its changes.Byas Anand is head of communications for the company.He called the price increases and size decreases "down-switching".
在印度，医药企业印度达博一直对这种变化持开放态度。拜亚斯·阿南德是该公司的通讯部主管。他称价格上涨和包装变小是“为降低通胀所做的调整”。
People around the world have been noticing "shrinkflation".They have taken photos and shown examples of it on social media.
世界各地的人们都注意到了“缩水式通货膨胀”。他们拍下了照片并在社交媒体上展示了一些例子。
Many people say they are changing the way they buy food.Alex Aspacher in the American state of Ohio is saving money by buying larger amounts of cheeseand cutting it himself instead of buying cut cheese.
许多人说他们正在改变购买食物的方式。美国俄亥俄州的亚历克斯·阿斯帕彻通过购买大块的奶酪来省钱，他自己把大块的奶酪切开，来代替购买切好的奶酪。
He said he has been surprised by how quickly the changes have happened.
他说自己对“包装变小，价格变高”这一转变产生的速度感到惊讶。
"I was prepared for it to a degree," he said, but "there hasnt been a limit to it so far."
“在某种程度上，我对此有所准备，”他说，但“到目前为止，这种转变并未受到限制。”
Experts say prices may go down, but it is not likely packages will get larger.
专家表示，价格可能会下降，但包装不太可能变大。
"Upsizing is kind of rare," Dworsky said.
德沃斯基说：“包装变大是很罕见的情况。”
In some cases, experts say, costs for food manufacturers are going up and they need to pass that on to buyers.But some companies might just be seeking higher profits.
专家说，在某些情况下，食品制造商的成本在增加，他们需要把成本转嫁给买家。但有些公司可能只是为了追求更高的利润。
Hitendra Chaturvedi is a business professor at Arizona State University.
希滕德拉·查图维迪是亚利桑那州立大学的商学教授。
He said he knows some companies are having trouble finding workers and paying higher costs.But he noted that PepsiCos profits rose 128 percent in the first three months of 2022.
他说自己知道一些公司很难找到工人以及支付更高的成本。但他指出，百事公司在2022年前三个月的利润增长了128%。
"Im not saying theyre profiteering, but it smells like it," he said.
他说：“我不是说他们在牟取暴利，但看起来确实如此。”
Profiteering means selling things at very high prices at a time when they are hard to find.
牟取暴利是指在事物很难被找到的时候把它们高价出售。
Chaturvedi questioned: "Are we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?"
查图维迪质疑道：“我们是在把供给约束作为赚更多钱的手段吗?”
Im Dan Friedell.
丹·弗雷德尔报道。
In the United States, India, Britain and Japan, people are starting to see smaller containers and higher prices for food.
在美国、印度、英国和日本，大家开始注意到食物的包装变小，价格却变高。
The cost increases are affecting snack food, cheese, drinks, soaps and more.
价格上涨还涉及到零食、奶酪、饮料、肥皂等。
Economic experts say the changes in package sizes are a result of inflation.They call it "shrinkflation".
经济专家称，包装大小的变化是通货膨胀的结果。他们称之为“缩水式通货膨胀”。
In the U.S., a popular kind of facial paper once had 65 sheets in each box, now it has 60.A container of yogurt that once had 150 grams now has about 125 grams.In Britain, a kind of coffee once had 100 grams in each package.It now has 90 grams.In India, a kind of soap is smaller by 20 grams.
在美国，一种流行的面巾纸原来是每盒65张，现在是每盒60张。曾经150克一盒的酸奶现在缩水到125克。在英国，有一种咖啡原来是每包100克，现在是每包90克。在印度，一种肥皂的重量减少了20克。
In some cases, people who buy these products are getting less for the same price.Some are seeing higher prices for smaller packages.Experts say the move by food companies is not new, but it is common in times of inflation.
还有另外的情况，购买这些产品的人花了同样的钱得到的东西却变少。有些人注意到，较小包装的商品价格更高。专家表示，食品公司此举并不新鲜，在通货膨胀时期很常见。
Around the world, people paid on average seven percent more for goods in May than they did the year before.A company that researches prices, S&P Global, said people should expect the inflation rate to stay the same at least until September.
在世界范围内，5月份人们购买商品花的钱平均比去年高出7%。一家研究价格的公司——标普全球表示，通货膨胀率预计至少在9月份之前不再变化。
Edgar Dworsky is a former lawyer for the American state of Massachusetts.He runs a website called Consumer World.He noted that price increases and smaller packaging "comes in waves".He added, "We happen to be in a tidal wave at the moment."
埃德加·德沃斯基曾是美国马萨诸塞州的一名律师。他经营着一家名为“消费者世界”的网站。他指出，价格上涨和包装变小“一波接一波地来”。他补充说：“我们此刻恰好处于这波浪潮之中。”
Dworsky said he started seeing smaller food containers last autumn.He notes coffee containers have less coffee and bathroom paper has fewer sheets.
德沃斯基说他从去年秋天开始注意到食品包装变小。他指出，咖啡包装里的咖啡变少了，卫生纸的张数变少了。
Many companies that make these goods create smaller packagesbut also change the words on them to make them seem new or better, Dworsky said.
“许多生产这些商品的公司设计出更小的包装，但这些公司也会改变包装上面的文字，让这些更小的包装看起来更新颖或更美观。”德沃斯基说。
One kind of corn snack made by PepsiCo is called Fritos.They recently had a "party size" bag that contained about 510 grams.New packages are still called "party size", but now they only have 439 grams.PepsiCo did not answer questions about the new size when asked by the Associated Press.But the company did say the bottles for a drink called Gatorade were made smallerso people could hold them more easily, not because of inflation.
百事公司生产的一种玉米零食叫菲乐多。这种零食最近出过“派对装”大小的袋子，约装510克。新包装仍然被称为“派对装”，但现在它们只有439克。百事可乐在美联社询问时没有回答有关新尺寸的问题。但该公司确实表示，佳得乐饮料的瓶子被做得更小，是因为这样人们就能更方便地拿着，而不是出于通货膨胀的原因。
Large consumer goods companies Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble also did not answer questions.
大型消费品公司金佰利和宝洁也没有回答有关新尺寸包装的问题。
But in Japan, the company that makes snacks called Calbee saidthe cost of materials was responsible for a price increase of 10 percent and a size decrease of 10 percent.Calbee makes soy and vegetable snacks.
但在日本，一家叫做卡乐比的零食公司表示，原材料成本是导致商品价格上涨10%、数量减少10%的原因。卡乐比主要生产豆制品零食和蔬菜零食。
In India, Dabur India has been open about its changes.Byas Anand is head of communications for the company.He called the price increases and size decreases "down-switching".
在印度，医药企业印度达博一直对这种变化持开放态度。拜亚斯·阿南德是该公司的通讯部主管。他称价格上涨和包装变小是“为降低通胀所做的调整”。
People around the world have been noticing "shrinkflation".They have taken photos and shown examples of it on social media.
世界各地的人们都注意到了“缩水式通货膨胀”。他们拍下了照片并在社交媒体上展示了一些例子。
Many people say they are changing the way they buy food.Alex Aspacher in the American state of Ohio is saving money by buying larger amounts of cheeseand cutting it himself instead of buying cut cheese.
许多人说他们正在改变购买食物的方式。美国俄亥俄州的亚历克斯·阿斯帕彻通过购买大块的奶酪来省钱，他自己把大块的奶酪切开，来代替购买切好的奶酪。
He said he has been surprised by how quickly the changes have happened.
他说自己对“包装变小，价格变高”这一转变产生的速度感到惊讶。
"I was prepared for it to a degree," he said, but "there hasnt been a limit to it so far."
“在某种程度上，我对此有所准备，”他说，但“到目前为止，这种转变并未受到限制。”
Experts say prices may go down, but it is not likely packages will get larger.
专家表示，价格可能会下降，但包装不太可能变大。
"Upsizing is kind of rare," Dworsky said.
德沃斯基说：“包装变大是很罕见的情况。”
In some cases, experts say, costs for food manufacturers are going up and they need to pass that on to buyers.But some companies might just be seeking higher profits.
专家说，在某些情况下，食品制造商的成本在增加，他们需要把成本转嫁给买家。但有些公司可能只是为了追求更高的利润。
Hitendra Chaturvedi is a business professor at Arizona State University.
希滕德拉·查图维迪是亚利桑那州立大学的商学教授。
He said he knows some companies are having trouble finding workers and paying higher costs.But he noted that PepsiCos profits rose 128 percent in the first three months of 2022.
他说自己知道一些公司很难找到工人以及支付更高的成本。但他指出，百事公司在2022年前三个月的利润增长了128%。
"Im not saying theyre profiteering, but it smells like it," he said.
他说：“我不是说他们在牟取暴利，但看起来确实如此。”
Profiteering means selling things at very high prices at a time when they are hard to find.
牟取暴利是指在事物很难被找到的时候把它们高价出售。
Chaturvedi questioned: "Are we using supply constraints as a weapon to make more money?"
查图维迪质疑道：“我们是在把供给约束作为赚更多钱的手段吗?”
Im Dan Friedell.
丹·弗雷德尔报道。
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