Prime Time 7/8, Language in Use, Arbeitsheft

Foods with benefits a) Read the article below and underline all of the words and phrases that describe the quality and the benefits of various food items. 4 Start in Aisle 2: Here is grape juice for your heart. In Aisle 5: Vitamin-packed water for your immune system. In aisle after aisle, wonders beckon. Foods and drinks to help your heart, lower your cholesterol, trim your tummy. Toss them into your cart and you might feel better. You might even live longer. Or not. Because this, shoppers, is the question: Are all these products really healthy, or are some of them just hyped? Over the past decade, functional food has turned into a big business. And more Americans are buying into the functional story. But as sales soar, federal regulators worry that some packaged foods that scream healthy on their labels are in fact no healthier than many ordinary brands. They have been cracking down on products that, in their view, make dubious claims and bamboozle shoppers with slick marketing. No one is saying that these products are unsafe or unhealthy, or that there isn’t science behind them. But nutritionists say that the vast number of functional foods has left many consumers confused about the products’ actual health value. And, in some cases, manufacturers are bending or even breaking the rules about how they market these products. Companies promote myriad processed foods that have been loaded with vitamins and nutrients, or contain a potentially beneficial ingredient, as wellness aids. For many, these “healthified” foods have become the new health food. Many Americans are willing to pay a premium for ready-to-heat and on-the-go foods that seem to promise shortcuts to healthier living. However, the bureau of consumer protection is concerned that people who buy foods that, for instance, claim to bolster immunity or reduce the risk of prostate cancer might forgo a flu shot or a doctor’s visit. The situation is clearer in Europe, where authorities have set up an independent panel of experts to check every health claim. Food makers submit applications with scientific evidence for a specific claim. The panel then reviews each case and issues an opinion on whether the evidence shows that eating the food indeed causes the advertised effect. A list of approved health claims is intended to make food shopping less confusing – at least for consumers in Europe. (Natasha Singer, The New York Times , 14 May 2011; adapted and abridged) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 b) Sort your findings into three categories: Words and phrases that carry a positive meaning and are used to advertise the respective food items, those that describe the food items in a comparatively neutral way, and words and phrases that carry a negative meaning. c) Go back to the article and find phrases that mean the same as the words below. Word Synonym Word Synonym 1. full of vitamins vitamin-packed 6. to deceive sb. by trickery or flattery 2. to lure and attract attention 7. of an indefinitely great number 3. to change into sth. 8. supposedly healthy 4. to accept sth. as valid 9. only requires heating up 5. to put limits on sb. or sth. 10. to do without sth. 92 Science and technology 18 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv