> Americans spending more, buying less
美國民眾花在食品上的錢更多 但是買的卻更少了

The past few months of robust grocery store sales would suggest shoppers in the US aren’t stretched for cash. But that’s not the full story.
過去幾個月美國食品雜貨店強勁的銷售額是否意味著消費者的手頭不再拮據了？事實并非你所看到的那樣。

Food manufacturers like Kellogg, PepsiCo and Nestlé all reported sales growth in the first quarter of the year.
家樂氏、百事和雀巢等食品生產商今年一季度報告的產品銷售額都有所上漲。

But even though sales are up, people are buying less.
然而，雖然銷售額上漲了，但人們買的卻更少了。

Growth has been fueled by higher prices, which offset declining volumes.
銷售額上漲源于食品提價，更高的價格補償了銷量下降導致的差額。

"If you look at the top-line dollar sales, it is obviously very positive,” said Alastair Steel, an executive for client engagement at market research firm Circana. “But it really is driven by price increases.”
市場調研機構Circana負責接洽客戶的高管阿拉斯泰爾?斯蒂爾說：“如果你看新聞報道的銷售額，顯然情況非常樂觀，但實際上銷售額上漲是因為價格提高了。”

For the period ending on May 21, compared to the same period in 2022, sales of fresh eggs by volume fell 4.7%, milk dropped 3.9%, packaged bread fell 3.8%, and fresh root vegetables slid 3.5%, according to Circana, which tracks US retail sales.
Circana追蹤美國零售銷量的數據顯示，從今年年初到5月21日為止，鮮蛋銷量同比下降了4.7%，牛奶銷量下降了3.9%，袋裝面包銷量下降了3.8%，新鮮根莖類蔬菜銷量下降了3.5%。

In that time, dollar sales of eggs rose by 41.2%, milk rose by 0.9%, bread jumped 8.5% and fresh root vegetables rose 10.7%.
同一期間，鮮蛋銷售額提高了41.2%，牛奶銷售額提高了0.9%，面包銷售額提高了8.5%，新鮮根莖類蔬菜銷售額提高了10.7%。

Steel noted early in the pandemic, when people stopped eating at restaurants and stocked up on pantry staples, unit sales soared.
斯蒂爾指出，在疫情初期，人們不再去餐廳吃飯，并大量囤積主食，當時單位產品銷售額大幅上漲。

Since then, they’ve been coming down.
自那以后，食品銷售額一直在回落。

Some of that can be attributed to an “unwinding” of that 2020 boom, he noted.
斯蒂爾指出，食品銷售額下降一部分可以歸結于2020年囤糧高潮的退去。

At that time, people could also use stimulus payments to cover costs. Those who were working from home didn’t have to spend money commuting.
那時候，人們還可以用新冠經濟刺激補助來支付家用，而且那些居家辦公的人不用在通勤上花錢。

Dining in isn’t the only way people are saving.
在家吃飯不是人們省錢的唯一方式。

Some Americans are trading down by going for cheaper items, or shopping at bargain stores.
有些美國人為了省錢而購買更便宜的商品，或去特價商店購物。

In the first four months of 2023, food prices went up by 7.7%, with grocery prices rising 7.1% and menu prices increasing 8.6%, according to data from the BLS’ Consumer Price Index.
美國勞工統計局的消費者價格指數顯示，今年年初到4月為止的這段時間，美國食品價格上漲了7.7%，菜價上漲了7.1%，菜單定價上漲了8.6%。

Prices overall rose 4.9% throughout the year.
全年食品價格總體上漲4.9%。

> WHO guideline on sweeteners sparks criticism
代糖到底能減肥嗎？世衛組織和熱量控制協會吵起來了……

Sugar substitutes such as stevia, aspartame and sucralose do not help people lose weight in the long run and may instead pose health risks, the World Health Organization has warned.
世界衛生組織近期發布一份關于非糖甜味劑的新指南警告說，從長遠來看，甜菊糖、阿斯巴甜、三氯蔗糖等代糖無助于人們減肥，反而可能對健康構成威脅。

A systematic review of the available evidence "suggests use of NSS [non-sugar sweeteners] does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children,” the WHO said in a statement.
世界衛生組織在一份聲明中說，對現有證據的系統回顧“表明，使用NSS(非糖甜味劑)對成人或兒童減少體脂沒有任何長期好處”。

“Results of the review also suggest there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults,” it added.
“審查的結果還表明，長期使用非糖甜味劑可能存在潛在的不良影響，例如增加二型糖尿病、心血管疾病和成人死亡率的風險，”它補充說。

“People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” said Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety.
世衛組織營養和食品安全司司長弗朗西斯科?布蘭卡說:“人們需要考慮其他方法來減少游離糖的攝入量，例如食用含有天然糖的食物，如水果，或食用不加糖的食品和飲料。”

Artificial sweeteners are “not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value,” Branca emphasized. “People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health."
布蘭卡強調，人工甜味劑“不是必需的飲食因素，也沒有營養價值”。“為了改善健康，人們應該從小開始減少飲食中的甜味。”

Formulating recommendations that are not supported by strong scientific evidence is inappropriate and could unnecessarily deter the public from personal choice and potentially beneficial dietary options, according to the Calorie Control Council, a low-calorie food and beverage interest group.
但是文章一出，熱量控制協會就坐不住了，根據熱量控制協會的說法，在沒有強有力的科學證據支持的情況下制定建議是不合適的，可能會不必要地阻止公眾做出個人選擇和潛在有益的飲食選擇。

“The world's most highly regarded health and regulatory agencies have thoroughly reviewed this evidence and have validated the role of these ingredients. Along with exercise and a healthy diet, low- and no-calorie sweeteners are a critical tool that can help consumers manage body weight and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases,” council president Robert Rankin said.
“世界上最受尊敬的衛生和監管機構已經徹底審查了這些證據，并證實了這些成分的作用。除了鍛煉和健康飲食，低卡路里和無卡路里甜味劑是幫助消費者控制體重和降低非傳染性疾病風險的關鍵工具，”熱量控制協會主席羅伯特?蘭金說。

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