|
|
2010年5月
【英译汉必译题】
In the European Union, carrots must be firm but not woody, cucumbers must
not be too curved and celery has to be free of any type of cavity. This was the
law, one that banned overly curved, extra-knobbly or oddly shaped produce from
supermarket shelves.
But in a victory for opponents of European regulation, 100 pages of
legislation determining the size, shape and texture of fruit and vegetables have
been torn up. On Wednesday, EU officials agreed to axe rules laying down
standards for 26 products, from peas to plums.
In doing so, the authorities hope they have killed off regulations
routinely used by critics - most notably in the British media - to ridicule the
meddling tendencies of the EU.
After years of news stories about the permitted angle or curvature of fruit
and vegetables, the decision Wednesday also coincided with the rising price of
commodities. With the cost of the weekly supermarket visit on the rise, it has
become increasingly hard to defend the act of throwing away food just because it
looks strange.
Beginning in July next year, when the changes go into force, standards on
the 26 products will disappear altogether. Shoppers will the be able to chose
their produce whatever its appearance.
Under a compromise reached with national governments, many of which opposed
the changes, standards will remain for 10 types of fruit and vegetables,
including apples, citrus fruit, peaches, pears, strawberries and tomatoes.
But those in this category that do not meet European norms will still be
allowed onto the market, providing they are marked as being substandard or
intended for cooking or processing.
"This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot," said
Mariann Fischer Boel, European commissioner for agriculture, who argued that
regulations were better left to market operators.
"In these days of high food prices and general economic difficulties,"
Fischer Boel added, "consumers should be able to choose from the widest range of
products possible. It makes no sense to throw perfectly good products away, just
because they are the 'wrong' shape."
That sentiment was not shared by 16 of the EU's 27 nations - including
Greece, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy and Poland - which tried to
block the changes at a meeting of the Agricultural Management Committee.
Several worried that the abolition of standards would lead to the creation
of national ones, said one official speaking on condition of anonymity because
of the sensitivity of the discussions.
Copa-Cogeca, which represents European agricultural trade unions and
cooperatives, also criticized the changes. "We fear that the absence of EU
standards will lead member states to establish national standards and that
private standards will proliferate," said its secretary general, Pekka
Pesonen.
But the decision to scale back on standards will be welcomed by
euro-skeptics who have long pilloried the EU executive's interest in intrusive
regulation.
One such controversy revolved around the correct degree of bend in bananas
- a type of fruit not covered by the Wednesday ruling.
In fact, there is no practical regulation on the issue. Commission
Regulation (EC) 2257/94 says that bananas must be "free from malformation or
abnormal curvature," though Class 1 bananas can have "slight defects of shape"
and Class 2 bananas can have full "defects of shape."
By contrast, the curvature of cucumbers has been a preoccupation of
European officials. Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1677/88 states that Class I
and "Extra class" cucumbers are allowed a bend of 10 millimeters per 10
centimeters of length. Class II cucumbers can bend twice as much.
It also says cucumbers must be fresh in appearance, firm, clean and
practically free of any visible foreign matter or pests, free of bitter taste
and of any foreign smell.
Such restrictions will disappear next year, and about 100 pages of rules
and regulations will go as well, a move welcomed by Neil Parish, chairman of the
European Parliament's agriculture committee.
"Food is food, no matter what it looks like," Parish said. "To stop stores
selling perfectly decent food during a food crisis is morally unjustifiable.
Credit should be given to the EU agriculture commissioner for pushing through
these proposals. Consumers care about the taste and quality of food, not how it
looks."
摘自：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/world/europe/12iht-food.4.17771299.html
|
|
发表于 2016-7-11 16:59:19
