《中英對照讀新聞》Strong growth seen in Britain's organic food sales英國有機食品銷售強勢成長

◎ 魏國金

Britain's organic food and drink market will increase 72 percent by 2010 to reach 2 billion pounds, research company Mintel said.

英國市場調查研究公司敏特爾指出，到2010年時，英國的有機食品與飲品市場將成長72%，而達20億英鎊的規模。

Organic products currently account for around one percent of overall food and drink sales, with market sales estimated at1.2 billion pounds in 2005, the report said.

報告說，目前有機產品佔食品與飲品銷售總量約1%，2005年時，其市場銷售額估計達12億英鎊。

"Sales are being driven by consumer interest in healthy eating, locally sourced product and concern for the environment and food safety," Mintel senior market analyst Julie Sloan said in a statement.

敏特爾資深市場分析師茱莉．斯隆在聲明中說︰「有機產品的銷售受消費者對健康飲食、在地食材產品的興趣，及其對環境與食品安全的關切所驅使。」

Britain's organic certification body, the Soil Association, said it believes market growth will be even stronger than Mintel's report suggested. "We think that Mintel's projection （of 2 billion pounds in sales by 2010） underestimates the growth of the organic market," Soil Association director Patrick Holden said in a statement.

英國有機產品認證單位「土壤協會」表示，它相信市場成長的趨勢將比敏特爾報告所指出的還要強。「土壤協會」主任派屈克．侯登在聲明中說︰「我們認為敏特爾的預估（指稱2010年時，銷售上達20億英鎊）低估了有機市場的成長。」

"In our perception, there is tremendous, underlying interest in sustainable production and locally-sourced foods....The organic and local food market is a big idea whose time has come," Holden said.

侯登說︰「就我們的認知，（公眾）對永續生產與在地食品存有濃厚、根本的興趣，有機、在地的食品市場是一個偉大的概念，其時代已然來臨。」

新聞辭典

drive：此處有驅動、驅使的意思。例句︰The noise nearly drove me crazy.（那噪音幾乎使我發狂。）

underestimate：低估。高估則是overestimate。例句︰I overestimated him.（我對他的期待過高；我高估了他。）

perception：感知、感覺、觀點。例句︰She is a woman of keen perception.（她是感覺敏銳的女人。）