VOA慢速英语: 对糖征税？

A Tax on Sugar?

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

对糖征税？

世界卫生组织称世界各国的人们摄入越来越多的糖分。结果，与肥胖以及牙病相关的疾病在增长。含糖份的食物和饮料会腐蚀牙齿、导致骨骼脆弱。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.

世界卫生组织发现，过去10年，我们饮食中的含糖量增加了10%。在一些地区，这一比例以较快的速度增长。在中东和北非地区，糖分摄入比例在过去10年里增长了15%。在一些亚洲和太平洋国家，糖分摄入高达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，人们吃的糖要比世界上任何一个地方都要多。弗朗西斯科·布兰卡是世界卫生组织营养健康部的部长。

"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，每个人每天大概会吃掉130克的糖，超过世界卫生组织建议的份量的两倍多。但是世界上一些地区摄入的糖分仍然很低。世界卫生组织建议，赤道附近和南非地区，每人每天大概摄入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.

布兰卡表示：到底减少多少分量的糖分很困难，因为很多食物都加糖。研究发现美国市场上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."

“举例子来说，平均每碗早餐麦片中大概包含4小勺游离糖。如果你去找一罐美国的苏打，其中游离糖含量大概有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.

世界卫生组织呼吁政府采取措施减少人们摄入糖分。建议对一些含糖量高的食品征收税，并且要求食物生产商列出他们产品中的含糖量。另一项提议是控制市场上针对儿童的含糖量食物和饮料。

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，联合国机构表示食用天然含有糖分的食物，例如：新鲜水果、蔬菜甚至牛奶都是很不错的选择。

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)