题型：阅读理解 题类： 难易度：困难
四川省遂宁市 2024届高三下学期第三次诊断考试英语试题
In recent years, labels have increasingly been used by the food industry. Whether "non-GMO（转基因）"or"zero trans fat","no added hormones" or"sugar-free", consumers are demanding more information about what's in their food.
A report by Nielsen found that 39 percent of consumers would switch from the brands they currently buy to others that provide clearer, more accurate product information. Food manufacturers are using the new labels to meet consumers' demand, with an eye towards giving their products a leg up over the competition, and their bottom lines a boost as well.
On its face, the new marketing strategy makes sense. But these so-called "absence claims" labels are harmful both to the consumers who purchase the products and the industry that supplies them. For example, Hunt's put a "non-GMO" label on its tomatoes a few years ago — despite the fact that, at the time, there was no such thing as a GMO tomato on the market. Over the long term, this strategy will have the opposite effect: by creating fear, we run the risk of damaging consumers' trust.
Eventually, it becomes a question in consumers' minds: Should I have ever been eating these foods in the first place? By purchasing and consuming these types of products, have I already done some kind of harm to me?
For food manufacturers, it will damage consumers' trust, which in turn would lower sales for the whole food industry. And this isn't just supposition. A recent study by a group of academics at the University of Delaware found that "absence claims" labels can stigmatize(污名化)food produced with conventional processes even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm.
In addition to the likely negative long-term impact on sales, it sends a message that innovations in farming and food processing are unwelcome, eventually leading to less efficiency, fewer choices for consumers, and, ultimately, more costly food products. Therefore, it's clear that food manufacturers must be careful when using "absence claims" as a marketing strategy. If we allow this kind of label fear-mongering to continue, the losers will be all of us.
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