I) Reading and Interpreting

Food safety has become one of the major worries for mankind. This worry has three major
sources: the chemical contamination of agricultural products, the use of additives, preservatives
.and colourings in a large number of food products and the consumption of ready-made food
Perhaps the first cause for worry about food safety is the highly intensive mode of farming and
agribusiness now prevailing in industrialized countries. This has led big companies to use chemicals,
fertilizers and pesticides to ensure maximum output. As a result, fruit and vegetables are
.contaminated by chemicals which may prove harmful to our health
The second cause for concern is again related to mass production, and the need to keep products
fresh and attractive. Consumer requirements have led manufacturers to introduce colourings,
additives and preservatives. Some of them have been suspected of being dangerous while others
have definitely been classified as harmful by independent research laboratories. Scientists maintain
that some colourings and sugar substitutes can cause cancer, diabetes and other metabolic
.disorders
Finally, fast food and ready-made meals have led people to take undesirable eating habits, like
nibbling at work or at home, or having frequent snacks in front of the computer or the TV set. More
worrying is the fact that the younger generation are the most prone to consume fast food and soft
drinks. These eating habits, as shown in advanced countries especially, have caused a large part of
the population to become overweight or obese, and to develop diseases like diabetes or high blood
pressure. These are due to an excess consumption of animal fat and fried food, as well as sugar
.and salt
In conclusion, the conjunction of contaminated agricultural products, processed foods and poor
eating habits is indeed a good reason to worry about food safety and to take corrective measures to
.change and improve our attitudes to eating

:The text describes .1

.a) how to be healthy
.b) people's eating habits
c) the health risks due to eating the wrong food

:According to the passage, our health depends on .2

.a) the food we eat
b) how much food we eat
.c) our food choices

:In order to follow the main advice in the passage, it would be most helpful to .3
a) eat right
b) eat less
c) follow a strict diet

4. Are these sentences "true" or "False"?

a) Chemical contamination of food products is harmful to our health.
b) Chemicals and fertilizers keep food products fresh and attractive.
c) Young people today enjoy fast food and soft drinks.
d) Fast food and ready-made meals have caused people to take healthy eating habits .

5. Answer the following questions according to the text?

1. Why do people today worry more about the safety of food products?
2. What health problems are caused by fast food and ready-made meals?
3. What should people do to make food safe and healthy ?
6. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) Some of them ( § 3 ) -------------------------------------------------
b) These are due to (§ 4 ) -------------------------------------------------

7. The purpose of this passage is to:

a) persuade. b) inform. c) entertain. d) narrate.
.
II) Text Exploration

Match sentences (1 - 6) with the sentences (a – f) .11

.Fast food is not very healthy .1

.A lot of children don't eat foods rich in minerals and vitamins .2
.If you too much cholesterol, it can be deposited on the walls of arteries .3
.Many people do not trust genetically modified foods .4
5. It is really important to consume sufficient quantities of the different food groups.
.Organic vegetables are more expensive but are better for you .6

.a) This can block them and lead to heart disease

b) They are not sure that altering the composition of cells to change certain characteristics is safe
c) This is because they are cultivated naturally, without using chemical fertilizers.
d) It can result in obesity and heart disease.
e) They end up suffering from malnutrition
.f) That is why doctors advise us to eat a balanced diet

Re write the following sentences to make a coherent paragraph. One sentence is irrelevant and .12
.should be left out

.a) Still others keep foods from spoiling -------

.b) Many food company researchers work to develop new foods -------
.c) Some additives increase a food's nutritional value -------
.d) Food additive is any substance that a food manufacturer adds to a food -------
.e) Others improve the color, flavor, or texture of foods -------

.Complete the spaces in the text with the words in the box .13

fibre balanced diet vitamins calories fat

minerals fast food carbohydrates malnutrition cholesterol

Most children enjoy eating(1)……………………………, but scientific tests have shown that burgers and
pizzas can lack essential (2) ……………………….and (3)………………………,which are essential for health and
growth, while simultaneously containing large amounts (4)…………………………and (5) ………………………..…
which can result in obesity and heart problems. Many children end up suffering from (6) …………………,
since they eat too much of the wrong sort of food. Dieticians tell us that we must eat a (7) ……….……,
as it is essential we consume sufficient quantities of the different food groups. They tell us that we
should all eat more (8)……………………………,which cannot be digested by the body, and fewer foods
which are high in (9)…………………..,as this can block the walls of arteries and lead to heart problems.
This is good advice, of course, but our lifestyles often make this difficult.Many of the ready-prepared
foods we buy from supermarkets are high in (10)………………………,giving us more energy than we
actually need. What is more, genetically-modified foods are appearing on our supermarket shelves,
.even though nobody is sure that they are really safe

.II) Written Expression

.Topic 1

Many young people today eat the wrong food, take no exercise and don't look after their bodies.
.Write an opinion article suggesting ways for the younger generation to stay healthy
eat more nourishing food -
take regular exercise -
go to bed early -
not worry about anything -
..not work too hard.etc -
Underline the stressed syllables in these words .14

contamination attitude experience vegetarian

.Topic 2
In many countries,the way people eat is changing.Why do you think this is happening.Is
?this true for your country

10. Re write the sentences using the connectors in brackets.

1. It is raining now, so I will not go for a walk.( if )
2. The taxi took a long time to come.I decided to walk instead. ( such….that)
3. I like living in the city centre even though it is noisy. ( in spite of)
4. Our parents are generous.All of the children in our family have received the best of every
thing. ( because of )

1. Fill in the missing forms

Noun Verb Adjective

contamination to contaminate contaminated

2. -------------------- exceed -------------------------

3. -------------------- --------------------------- corrective

4. choice --------------------------- ---------------------------

Correct correction corrective

Excess exceed excessive

:The text attempts to show

)a
Perhaps the first cause for about
worry

Vocabulary:Food
.How much do you know about the food you eat.Match the sentence halves .1

.Milk and cheese (g) a) are rich in vitamin C .1

.Potatoes,carrots and beetroot
.Cheese,butter and oil
Fresh fruit and vegetables
.Eggs and red meat
.Rice,potatoes and bread
.Nuts and dried beans
b) are high in cholesterol .2
c) are root vegetables .3
d) are good sources of protein for vegetarians .4
e) are all high in carbohydrates .5
f) are needed in a balanced diet .6
g) are dairy products .7
.Proteins,fats and carbohydrates h) have a high proportion of fat .8
Food additive is any substance that a food manufacturer adds to a food. Some additives
increase a food's nutritional value. Others improve the color, flavor, or texture of foods.
.Still others keep foods from spoiling
Some food additives come from other foods. Scientists create other additives in the
laboratory. Some people consider food additives dangerous to their health. But many of
.these substances occur naturally in foods that people have eaten for centuries

Kinds of additives. There are thousands of food additives. They can be classified into six
major groups: (1) nutrients; (2) flavoring agents; (3) coloring agents; (4) preservatives;
.(5) emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners; and (6) acids and alkalis

Nutrients, such as minerals and vitamins, make foods more nourishing. The addition of the
B-complex vitamins folic acid and niacin to flour, pasta, and rice has helped reduce the
incidence of a serious spinal defect called spina bifida and has virtually eliminated the
nutrient deficiency disease pellagra. Addition of the mineral iodine to table salt has made
.incidence of goiter rare

Flavoring agents include all spices and natural flavors, as well as such artificial flavors as
vanillin, which is used in place of natural vanilla. Most flavors are added in tiny quantities.
Some flavoring agents, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), enhance a food's natural
flavor. Sweeteners add sweetness. Natural sweeteners include sucrose, fructose, dextrose,
and corn syrup. Artificial sweeteners include acesulfame-K, aspartame, saccharin, and
.sucralose

Coloring agents help make foods look appealing. For example, canned cherry pie filling may
have red color added to replace color lost during processing. Colas would be clear without
.the addition of caramel coloring

Emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners help the ingredients in a food to mix and hold
together. Lecithin is an emulsifier, an additive that keeps one substance evenly dispersed
in another. It helps prevent the fat in chocolate from separating and forming bloom, a
white discoloration. The emulsifiers stearoyl-2-lactylate and polysorbate 60 keep bread
soft. Carrageenin, a stabilizer, keeps the chocolate particles in chocolate milk from settling.
.Xanthan gum is used to thicken salad dressings

Preservatives extend the shelf life of foods. Chemical compounds called antimicrobial
agents destroy or inhibit the growth of microbes, allowing foods to be safely kept for a
longer time. Nitrite added to cured meats prevents the growth of the bacteria that cause a
kind of food poisoning called botulism (see BOTULISM). Calcium propionate retards the
growth of mold in bread. Such antioxidants as BHA and BHT help maintain flavor by
slowing down oxidation, a chemical reaction. EDTA and other sequestrants bind together
.metal ions in food to prevent them from promoting oxidation. See FOOD PRESERVATION

Acids and alkalis are used to change the pH of some foods (see PH). Acids help prevent the
growth of certain bacteria. They can also be used to add flavor. Citric acid added to drinks
gives them a tart taste. Alkalis are added to cocoa to reduce its acidity. Alkalis can also be
used to improve the appearance of foods. For example, manufacturers coat pretzels with
.alkali solutions so that baking produces a shiny, dark brown surface

Government regulations. Government committees and regulatory bodies define the

maximum amounts of additives permitted in food. In the United States, the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits the use of any food additive shown, by appropriate tests,
to cause cancer in people or animals. It also requires a manufacturer to prove a new food
additive safe and effective before using it. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
.enforces the act

See also ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER; FAT SUBSTITUTE; MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE; PURE

.FOOD AND DRUG LAWS

Contributor: Grady W. Chism, Ph.D., Professor of Food Science and Technology, Ohio State
.University, Columbus

---- end of article ----

Agricultural researchers work to increase the food supply by developing more productive
varieties of plants and livestock and more effective fertilizers and pesticides. Other
researchers seek ways to improve the flavor, appearance, or nutritional value of food
products. Still others study the effects of preservatives and packaging on the storage life of
food. Researchers in food safety study the health risks to consumers due to microbes,
.impurities, and additives found in food

Many food company researchers work to develop new foods, and they seek ways to make
the home preparation of processed foods easier. Home economists develop new recipes,
and dietitians and nutritionists look for ways in which to improve the human diet.
.Agricultural economists study farm management and crop and livestock production

Education has been an important factor in the economic development of the United States
and in the achievement of a high standard of living for most Americans. It has also
contributed to the enjoyment of life for many people. Americans are among the best-
educated people in the world. Schools, libraries, museums, and other educational
.institutions in the country provide learning opportunities for people of all ages

Schools. During the early history of the United States, most schools were privately owned.
Church groups owned and operated many of them. In the early 1800's, the idea of free
public schools began to gain widespread support in the country. State and local
governments took the responsibility for establishing public school systems. By 1918, every
state had laws requiring children to attend school until they reached a certain age or
completed a certain grade. Today, about 75 percent of the nation's elementary and high
schools, and about 45 percent of its institutions of higher learning, are public schools. The
.rest are private schools run by religious organizations or private groups

Many American children begin their schooling before enrolling in first grade. About 35
percent of all the children aged 3 and 4 attend nursery schools, and about 95 percent of all
5-year-olds attend kindergarten. More than 99 percent of all U.S. children complete
elementary school, and about 75 percent of them graduate from high school.
Approximately 60 percent of the high school graduates go on to colleges or universities.
.About 20 percent of the country's adults complete at least four years of higher education

Adult education is an important part of the school system in the United States. Millions of
adults take courses at universities, colleges, vocational schools, recreation centers, or other
institutions. Many adults continue their schooling to improve their job skills or to get
training for a new job. Others attend classes simply to develop new hobbies or to find out
more about topics that interest them. A growing number of part-time and full-time college
and university students are men and women who have held jobs or raised families and are
.returning to school to get a degree

Public schools in the United States are supported mainly by taxation. Private schools get
their operating funds chiefly from tuition and contributions of private citizens. The nation's
schools, like its private businesses, have always had to deal with financial problems.
Rapidly rising material and salary costs have increased the financial problems of the
schools. Some public and private schools have cut back on programs and reduced their
faculties to try to keep expenses in line with revenues. Colleges and universities have
.sharply increased their tuition and fee charges

Schools in the United States face a number of other problems. Many schools, particularly in
large cities, have rundown buildings, inadequate supplies, and overcrowded conditions. A
far higher percentage of young people in these areas drop out of school than in other
areas. Some people claim that schools in their areas fail to provide students with the skills
to obtain and hold jobs. Schools with large numbers of students from other countries face
the problem of educating some children who speak little or no English. See EDUCATION

Consumerism is a movement that promotes the interests of buyers of goods and services.
It works to protect consumers from unsafe products; fraudulent advertising, labeling, or
packaging; and business practices that limit competition. Consumerism, also known as
.consumer protection or the consumer movement, is active in many countries
Consumerism includes activities by consumers themselves, as well as government action
on the federal, state, and local level. The movement seeks to provide adequate information
about products so that consumers can make wise decisions in purchasing goods and
services. Consumerism also tries to inform consumers of effective means of obtaining
.compensation for damage or injury caused by defective products

The rise of the consumer movement has had major effects on business and industry. Many
companies have become more responsive to the needs, wants, and safety of consumers.
Other firms have not been responsive to these concerns. Some of them have experienced
financial losses and unfavorable publicity resulting from lawsuits by dissatisfied consumers
.and government-ordered recalls of defective products

The consumer's rights

Consumer groups and many other people believe consumers have several basic rights. For
example, they believe consumers are entitled to (1) products whose quality is consistent
with their prices and the claims of manufacturers; (2) protection against unsafe goods; (3)
truthful, adequate information about goods or services; and (4) a choice among a variety
of products. Buyers also have certain responsibilities. For example, they must use a
product for the purpose intended by the manufacturer, and they should follow the
.instructions provided with the product

The right to quality. Warranties and money-back guarantees provide assurances that a
product will live up to the claims of the manufacturer. Most warranties are written
statements that promise repair, replacement, or a refund if a product fails to perform as
the manufacturer said it would for a certain period of time. A money-back guarantee
.promises a refund of the purchase price if the buyer is not completely satisfied

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 helps regulate warranties. This law requires that
warranties be written clearly so they can be easily understood by the public. The act also
gives the consumer the right to an implied warranty if the manufacturer does not provide a
written warranty. An implied warranty is an unwritten guarantee that a product is suitable
for the purpose for which it has been sold. For example, a hairdryer should dry hair. Only a
product sold "as is" has no implied warranty. Such goods include damaged and second-
.hand items

The right to safety. A number of agencies of the federal government play an important role
in ensuring the safety of goods. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
enforces laws concerning the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. The Consumer Product
Safety Commission sets safety standards for many household products. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration sets and enforces safety requirements for
automobiles and related products. All such agencies test products and inspect factories.
They also investigate consumer complaints and furnish information about product safety.
.In addition, the agencies can order manufacturers to recall hazardous products

Certification programs give consumers further information about product safety. For
example, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., a nonprofit organization, sets safety standards
for building materials, electric appliances, and other products. It tests products submitted
.by manufacturers and awards a certifying seal to items that meet its standards

Consumers can seek compensation in several ways for a loss or injury. For example, a
person can sue by means of a product liability suit or a malpractice suit. A product liability
suit is brought against a manufacturer or seller for damage or injury that is caused by a
product. A malpractice suit is filed against an individual or a company in a service field,
.such as medicine or dentistry

Consumers can file individual lawsuits in a regular court, or they can bring their claims to a
small-claims court. Most small-claims courts handle consumer complaints involving up to
$5,000. If many consumers have the same complaint, they may file their claims in a single
.lawsuit called a class action suit

People can also bring their complaints to consumer and business organizations. For
example, many business companies finance organizations known as better business
bureaus. The bureaus bring consumer complaints to the attention of business firms. Large
numbers of companies have special departments that handle consumer problems. In
addition, newspapers publish special columns and radio and television stations broadcast
.programs that tell consumers how to make complaints
The right to information. Advertising provides a major method by which manufacturers and
sellers give information to consumers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates
advertising and administers several programs that handle deceptive claims. For example,
the FTC may order a manufacturer to provide corrective advertising if misleading claims
.have been made

The FTC and the state governments fight bait-and-switch selling and other deceptive sales
methods. A bait-and-switch advertisement uses a special sale on a product as "bait" to
attract customers to the advertiser's place of business. Salespeople then try to "switch" the
.customers to a more expensive product

Various laws protect the consumer's right to adequate, truthful information. One of these
laws is the Consumer Credit Protection Act of 1968, often called the Truth in Lending Act. It
requires sellers to state clearly the charge made for loans and installment purchases and to
express the interest rate as an annual rate. Another law affecting information given
consumers is the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966, also known as the Truth in
Packaging and Labeling Act. It requires that the package used for a product provide certain
information. This information includes the identity of the product, the manufacturer's name
.and address, and the net quantity of the contents

The United States Department of Agriculture requires that the grade of meat and dairy
products appear on those items for the benefit of consumers. Many food stores use unit
pricing, such as the price per ounce or per gram. This system helps consumers determine
the best buy among several products in different sizes of packages. Food manufacturers
also inform consumers by freshness labeling, also called open dating. A product is stamped
with a date, which is the last day that it should be sold or used to assure quality or
.freshness

Consumer organizations contribute much information about products. For example,

Consumers' Research, Inc., and Consumers Union test a wide variety of products and
publish the results. Consumers' Research is financed entirely by consumers who subscribe
to its publications, and Consumers Union is supported chiefly by the sale of subscriptions,
plus some contributions. Consumer groups also encourage the development of consumer
education programs. Such programs emphasize the rights of consumers and provide
.information about managing money and making wise purchases

The right to choose. The government regulates business in order to promote free and fair
competition. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 forbids monopolies. The act also prohibits
price fixing, a stated or implied agreement by several manufacturers to charge a
noncompetitive price for a product they all make. The U.S. Department of Justice and the
FTC enforce the Sherman Act. The FTC also enforces the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and
the Celler-Kefauver Act of 1950. These laws are designed to prohibit businesses from
.forming combinations that would reduce competition

Some supporters of consumerism favor regulation by the FTC of the amount of money that
businesses spend for advertising. They argue that small or new companies cannot spend
large sums for advertising and thus cannot compete with large or older firms. As a result,
businesses with larger budgets have considerable control over the market and the prices
.that consumers pay

History of the consumer movement

Early buyer-seller relationships. Some of the first attempts to protect consumers occurred
during the Middle Ages. Guilds established by craftworkers set standards for products sold
by their members. Another form of early consumer protection consisted of laws against
usury, the lending of money at an excessive rate of interest. These laws regulated the rate
.of interest that moneylenders could charge borrowers
Beginnings of consumerism. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, the sale of many
impure and unsafe products led to increased consumer interest in legislation that
established standards of quality. A number of writers called muckrakers exposed abuses by
various companies. For example, the novelist Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle (1906),
which described filthy conditions in the meat-packing industry. This book helped lead to the
.federal Food and Drugs Act of 1906

The growth of large corporations and monopolies also contributed to an increased interest
in consumerism. These giant business companies lacked competition from other firms, and
so they regulated the supply of products and charged high prices. They also marketed
many low-quality products. In the late 1800's, Congress passed the first antitrust and
.antimonopoly laws to protect consumers from these powerful companies

As business and industry expanded, changes in technology resulted in new and increasingly
complex products. Businesses also began to advertise extensively to distinguish their
products from those of other companies. As a result, the consumer movement began to
emphasize the customer's right to have adequate information about products. In 1929,
Consumers' Research, Inc., was established to provide testing and rating services for
consumers. A group of employees from that organization formed Consumers Union in
.1936

Growth of the movement. During the 1950's and 1960's, consumer awareness increased as
a result of efforts by various crusaders. The author Vance Packard, in his books The Hidden
Persuaders (1957) and The Waste-makers (1960), discussed sales promotion methods and
certain techniques designed to increase the use of products. One of these techniques was
the use of advertising to encourage people to desire various items. Ralph Nader, a leading
consumer crusader, maintained in Unsafe at Any Speed (1965) that many kinds of
automobiles were unsafe. His book led to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
of 1966, which established safety standards for motor vehicles. Nader and his group of
investigators, often called Nader's Raiders, also increased consumer interest in the safety
.of other products

During the 1970's, a period of inflation, consumers became increasingly effective in

exercising their rights. Inflation helped the growth of consumerism because of greater
public concern about the cost and quality of products when prices go up continually.
Consumer boycotts of beef, coffee, and sugar succeeded in temporarily lowering the prices
of those products in the mid-1970's. During the 1980's, increased concern for health led
.consumers to demand more nutritional information on food packaging

Today, consumer groups play a larger role than ever before in supporting the rights of
consumers. For example, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) presents the
viewpoints of consumers to federal agencies. Public Citizen, an organization founded by
Ralph Nader, conducts research on products, works to influence Congress and state
legislatures, and develops educational programs for consumers. The Conference of
.Consumer Organizations provides assistance in organizing consumer groups

Contributor: Barbara B. Murray, Ph.D., Chairperson, Finance and Business Economics