VOA慢速英语20060523a

AGRICULTURE REPORT - More Organic Foods at Wal-Mart StoresBy Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, May 23, 2006

I'm Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.


Wal-Mart

Sales of organic foods in the United States have been growing since the nineteen seventies. The Organic Trade Association says sales last year reached almost fourteen thousand million dollars. Yet that was only two and one-half percent of all food sales.

But now there is a sign that organics have risen to a new level of economic importance. This spring, Wal-Mart announced an effort to double the number of organic products in its stores.

Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have sold organic products for years. But in recent years organic sales have grown sharply¹. Products like organic milk and eggs have appeared in most grocery stores.

Wal-Mart sells thousands of products, including food. Many of its stores contain markets. Wal-Mart says it wants to offer greater choice to more people.

But critics say the actions of such a huge seller could put pressure on organic producers. They say it will be harder to know if producers are following the rules for organics as larger companies push demand higher.

At the same time, Wal-Mart's efforts are expected to push prices lower. A Wal-Mart official reportedly said his company plans to sell organics at only ten percent over the price of non-organic versions.

Some people have been willing to pay five or ten times that. They believe organic foods are healthier and safer. Others dispute this, and some say it can depend on the products.

Organic products may not be genetically² engineered. They must be made only with natural processes and materials. Crops must be raised without most of the chemicals that farmers use now. Animals cannot be given antibiotics³ or other drugs to increase growth. And they must be fed organically grown food.

Yet the food industry uses many different marketing⁴ terms. Claims like all-natural can mean different things. But a product must contain at least ninety-five percent organic materials to be called organic.

Some people worry that the rules for organic foods will be weakened as big companies expand into the market.

The National Organic Program of the United States Department of Agriculture sets those rules. Farms must give a production plan to a certifying⁵ agent approved by the department. If the agent approves the plan, only then can the U.S.D.A. Organic Seal appear on their products. This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. Read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Shep O'Neal.

1 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

2 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

3 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 certifying   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的现在分词 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Signed Commercial in quintuplicate, certifying merchandise to be of Chinese origin. 签署商业发票一式五份，证明产品的原产地为中国。
• Other documents certifying the truthfulness of the contents of the advertisements. （三）确认广告内容真实性的其他证明文件。