Recollect

毎日英语:塑化剂丑闻重创台湾夜市

7小时前

　　With health authorities in mainland China fighting a war on food safety violators, a food scandal across the Taiwan Strait has claimed an iconic victim: the night market.

　　在中国大陆卫生部门向食品安全违规者开战之际，海峡对岸的一场食品丑闻已经击溃了一个具有标志意义的受害者：夜市。

　　Taiwanese identity is touchy subject, but among the many contentious markers of 'true' Taiwanese-ness, a fondness for night markets is that rare characteristic that unifies nearly all the island's residents. There is something about the blend of cheap clothing, smorgasbord of delicacies and wafting scent of stinky tofu that draws the Taiwanese to pack the island's many night markets every evening.

　　台湾人的身份认同是一个敏感话题。很多标志能否体现“正宗”的台湾特质，都是众说纷纭，但对夜市的热爱，却是难得地统括了岛上几乎全部居民的一个特色。夜市基本上是廉价衣服、美味自助和臭豆腐气味混合在一起的大杂烩，正是这些东西，吸引台湾人每天晚上把岛上许多夜市挤个水泄不通。

　　So it is a true indication of the level of concern about the recent food scare that consumers are shying away from the markets.

　　所以说，消费者避开这些市场，真实地反映了人们对最近食品问题的担忧程度。

　　Late last month, Taiwan's Department of Health announced that that clouding agents - used to enrich the colors of food products from juices to jams - produced and distributed by an unlisted local company contained six different chemicals, known as plasticizers, in place of more expensive palm oil. Although local media has reported that research on the impact of the chemicals remains scant, the government has said daily consumption could lead to developmental problems in children's reproductive systems and might also be carcinogenic.

　　台湾卫生部5月下旬公布，当地一家未上市公司生产、经销的乳化剂（用于增强果汁、果酱等食品的颜色）含有六种不同的“塑化剂”，用以取代更加昂贵的棕榈油。当地媒体报道说，有关这些化学物品有何影响的研究仍旧不多，但政府已经表示，每天食用可能导致儿童生殖系统出现发育问题，还有可能致癌。

　　The government has responded swiftly, recalling more than 460,000 bottles of sports drinks and fruit juice, conducting wide tests on products, tracing the chemicals back to their origin and penalizing the owner of the company at fault. Despite those efforts, China and South Korea on Wednesday announced a ban on the importation of Taiwanese beverages, jams, syrups and jellies, among other products. The Philippine government, meanwhile, has ordered a recall of 70 Taiwanese drink, jam and other brands.

　　台湾政府迅速采取响应措施，召回了46万瓶运动饮料和果汁，展开了大范围的产品检验，发现了塑化剂源头，并对塑化剂生产企业老板实施了处罚。虽然采取了这些措施，中国大陆和韩国还是在周三宣布禁止进口台湾饮料、果酱、糖浆和果冻等产品。与此同时，菲律宾政府下令召回70种台湾生产的饮料和果酱等。

　　The government response also appears to have come too late for vendors at Shihlin Night Market, one of the Taipei's biggest tourist attractions, who report that business has dropped off after some of the market's drinks and shaved ice deserts tested positive for plasticizers.

　　对于台北最大旅游景点之一──士林夜市的商贩们来说，政府的应对措施似乎也是来得太迟了。他们反映，在市场一些饮料和刨冰检测出塑化剂之后，生意日渐稀少。

　　'Summer is the hot season for frozen treats,' fretted one shaved ice vendor named Mr. Wang in the local Apple Daily newspaper. 'The government needs to speed up the pace with which it punishes the culprits, otherwise it will lose credibility.'

　　当地《苹果日报》报道，一位姓汪（音译）的刨冰小贩担忧地说，夏天是冷冻食品的旺季，政府需要加快惩罚罪犯的速度，不然它就会失去公信力。

　　Taiwanese authorities have detained three people from two different companies in connection with the scandal. The government has said it plans also to increase fines to somewhere in the range of NT$1-10 million (US$34,700-347,400) from the previous maximum of NT$300,000 and has discussed requiring companies to have food scientists on hand to oversee production. But it remains to be seen how effective the stiffer penalties and regulations will be.

　　台湾当局已经扣留牵涉这场丑闻的两家不同公司的三个人。政府曾说，还计划将罚款数额从原先最高30万新台币（约合人民币6.8万元）提高到100万至1000万新台币的范围。它还曾讨论是否要求企业聘请食品科学家监督生产。但加大惩罚和监管的效果仍然有待观察。

　　Meanwhile, Taiwanese food giants Wei Chuan and Uni-President, which both have beverage exposure, saw their shares drop over the past week. KGI Securities and JP Morgan both forecast the impact on the companies would be minimal in recent notes on the scandal, but KGI listed the new regulations as a downside risk for the companies.

　　与此同时，饮料检出塑化剂的台湾食品巨头味全(Wei Chuan)和统一(Uni-President)的股价已在过去一个星期下跌。凯基证券(KGI Securities)和摩根大通(JP Morgan)都在最近有关这起丑闻的报告中预测，两家公司不会受到太大影响。但凯基证券认为新的监管规定是它们面临的一个下行风险。

　　Taiwan has more invested in tighter food regulations than a return to business-as-usual at the island's night markets. As Daniel Rosen, a principal at the Rhodium Group, and Zhi Wang, a former senior economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission, noted in the conclusion to their January book on Taiwan's Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China, opportunity knocks for producers who can develop a reputation in China as a trustworthy supplier of pollutant-free food.

　　对于台湾来说，关系更大的是食品监管的加强，而不是夜市生意的恢复。研究公司Rhodium Group资深顾问罗森(Daniel Rosen)、美国国际贸易委员会(U.S. International Trade Commission)前高级经济学家王直1月份出版有关海峡两岸经济合作框架协议(Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement)的著作，其结语指出，对于能够在中国大陆建立声誉、被视为无污染食品的可靠提供者的生产企业，机会来临了。

　　Given the steady stream of mind-boggling fake food news coming out of China lately â ' glow-in-the-dark pork, anyone? -- that opportunity doesn't look to be disappearing any time soon.

　　考虑到最近中国大陆不断传出难以想象的伪劣食品消息（荧光猪肉，听说过吗？），这种机会看来不会很快消失。



原文地址:http://user.qzone.qq.com/136049276/blog/1307772259