专题能力训练十二 阅读理解(三)
能力升级训练第35页
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(2014·沈阳质量检测一)
If you bought some candy months ago but never ate it,how can you tell whether it is still safe to eat?The easies t way is to check the “use-by date”printed on the wrapper.If that date has already passed,you’re likely to throw the candy away.But is that really necessary?
According to a new report from the US Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC),tons of food is wasted each year,largely because people don’t fully understand what expiration dates,or “use-by dates”,actually mean.
Food dating was introduced in the 1970s because consumers wanted more information about the things that they were eating.When they first showed up,use-by dates were only supposed to indicate freshness because producers wanted their products to be tasted in their best conditions.
But the truth is that these dates aren’t related to the risk of food poisoning or food-born illness,according to Time News.However,most customers misinterpreted use-by dates and related them to the safety of the food,and they still largely do now.
Eggs,for example,can still be eaten three to five weeks after purchase even though the use-by date is much earlier.When their use-by dates pass,strawberry-flavored drinks may lose their red color and biscuits may lose their crunch(嘎吱嘎吱的声音),but they are not harmful.
“It’s a confusing subject,the difference between food quality and food safety,”said Jena Rober ts,vice president of National Food Lab,a US food testing company.“Even in the food industry I have colleagues who get confused.”
This is why scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed following the use-by dates.“We want this to be clearly communicated so consumers are not misunderstanding the date
