現代社會的“食品荒漠”問題

隨著現代飲食觀念的轉變，“窮吃菜，富吃肉”的理念早已過時，而“窮吃肉，富吃菜”正大行其道。在歐美國家，這一現象更為普遍。在貧民生活的地方，經常出現買不到新鮮食品的“食品荒漠”。

Food desert refers to an area where fresh food is either non-existent or too expensive.
“食品荒漠”是指沒有新鮮食品或這種食品價格極貴的地區。

看了以上定義，你也許對此還是沒啥概念。憋急！我們來看看對此問題頗感頭大的美國農業部是怎么解釋的：

What is a "food desert"? A community in which residents must travel at least a mile to buy fresh meat, dairy products, and vegetables.
什么是“食品荒漠”？“食品荒漠”指某社區居民必須“跋涉”至少一英里的路程才能買到新鮮的肉類、奶制品和蔬菜。

More precisely, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a food desert as any census district where at least 20 percent of the inhabitants are below the poverty line and 33 percent live over a mile from the nearest supermarket (or in rural areas, more than 10 miles).
美國農業部對此給出了更為精辟的定義：任何接受人口普查的地區中，至少20%的居民生活在貧困線以下，33%居民的居所距離最近的超市超過一英里（在農村，該距離為超過10英里）。

Approximately 23.5 million Americans live in a food desert, says the USDA, including vast, rural swaths of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, as well as urban areas like Detroit, Chicago, and New York City.
美國農業部稱，目前約有2350萬美國人生活在食品荒漠里，包括廣闊的西弗吉尼亞、俄亥俄州和肯塔基州的農村和底特律、加利福尼亞和紐約市的城區。

The government believes food deserts are contributing to the obesity epidemic in the U.S., by forcing the rural and urban poor to rely on processed foods and fast food, instead of fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit. Today, more than one third of adult Americans are obese.
政府認為，食品荒漠迫使城鄉貧民依賴加工食品和快餐，不吃新鮮肉類、蔬菜和水果，是造成美國人肥胖的原因。如今，1/3的美國成年人肥胖。

（中國日報網英語點津 丁一）