Topic: Chinese ready meals have more salt than 11 bags of potato chips
Chinese takeaways and ready meals should carry compulsory health warning labels on menus and packaging to alert consumers to “astonishing and harmful” salt levels, UK health experts have recommended.
英國健康專家建議，外帶餐廳或是超市販售的即食中式料理，應該在菜單中以及包裝上強制加上健康危害警告標語，提醒消費者餐點中的含鹽量達到「令人驚恐而且有害」的程度。
The worst-offending Chinese takeaway dishes in a survey published on March 13 by Action on Salt were found to have as much salt as five McDonald’s Big Macs, while many had more than half an adult’s entire daily allowance.Supermarket Chinese ready meals were also laden with salt, with some containing more than the amount found in two Pizza Express margherita pizzas, the report reveals. Some rice dishes contained more salt than 11 bags of ready salted crisps.
英國組織「抗鹽行動」在三月十三日發布一項調查結果，發現那些對健康造成最嚴重危害的外帶型中式料理，其中鹽分的含量相等於五個麥當勞大麥克堡，還有許多菜餚的含鹽量超過一個成人每日食鹽建議攝取量的一半。這份報告同時揭露出超市的即食中式料理同樣充滿著鹽分，其中一些菜餚含鹽量遠超過連鎖義式餐廳Pizza Express的兩個瑪格麗特披薩。某些米飯類料理所含的鹽分甚至超過十一袋加鹽的洋芋片。
Action on Salt is leading a group of health experts in calling on Public Health England to set tough new salt targets, make front-of-pack labelling mandatory and to follow New York’s lead by requiring chains to put warning labels on high-salt dishes. They are also urging the food industry and restaurants to reduce salt by reformulating takeaways and ready meals.
「抗鹽行動」組織率領一群健康專家，向英國公共衛生部呼籲應制定嚴格的新鹽分標準、強制食物包裝正面必須加上標示，並且仿效紐約之前率先採取的行動，也就是要求連鎖超市或餐廳必須在高鹽分菜餚的包裝上加註警語。他們同時也呼籲食品產業和餐廳重新設計外帶與即食料理的成份，減少其中的鹽分。
Of 141 supermarket Chinese ready meals analysed, nearly half (43 percent) were high in salt — containing more than 1.5g/100g, or 1.8g per portion — which would trigger a red “traffic light” label.
在經過分析的一百四十一種中式即食料理中，有接近半數（百分之四十三）的菜餚含鹽量過高──每一百克的菜餚中就有超過一點五克的鹽，或是一份菜餚中含有一點八克的鹽──可能導致身體中的鹽分攝取亮起紅燈。
“Salt is the forgotten killer as it puts up our blood pressure, leading to tens of thousands of unnecessary strokes, heart failure and heart attacks every year,” said Graham MacGregor, the chairman of Action on Salt and a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London.“
「抗鹽行動」的理事長葛拉漢‧麥可葛瑞格表示：「食鹽是經常遭到忽略的殺手，它會增加我們的血壓，每年導致好幾萬個可以避免的中風、心臟衰竭，以及急性心臟病等案例」。葛拉漢‧麥可葛瑞格同時也是倫敦瑪麗王后大學心血管醫藥研究部門的教授。
Reducing salt is the most cost-effective measure to reduce the number of people dying or suffering from strokes or heart disease.”Accompanying rice dishes, spring rolls and prawn crackers — and soy sauce — can pile on the salt in a Chinese meal.Dishes from six Chinese restaurants were also analysed, with 97 percent found to contain 2g of salt or more. More than half (58 percent) contained in excess of 3g of salt per dish: Half an adult’s maximum recommended daily intake.
「要減少中風或心臟疾病的死亡人數或罹病者數量，減少鹽分是最有效率又成本最低的措施。」
中式餐點如果搭配米飯類菜餚，或是春捲和蝦餅──再淋上醬油──鹽分就會大幅增加。
這個組織同時也分析了六間中式餐廳的多種料理，有百分之九十七的菜餚含有兩公克或以上的鹽分。超過半數（百分之五十八）的菜餚每份的含鹽量甚至超過三公克──這已經是一位成人每日食鹽建議最大攝取量的一半了。
Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2018/03/25/2003689953
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Topic: ‘Free chips with your bag of air’ is good for you, says FDA
Have you ever felt like you have been conned when you joyfully open a bag of potato chips, only to find a mere handful of chips inside? The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) says that storage in a sealed bag filled with nitrogen is necessary to keep the chips fresh and tasty.
你是否曾經有過滿心歡喜打開洋芋片，卻發現裡面東西只有一點點，感覺像被騙呢？台灣食品藥物管理署表示，為了保持洋芋片的新鮮美味，密封包裝以及氮氣充填保存是必須的。
The TFDA shared a post on its Facebook page and an article on its Web site, in which it said that potato chips are fried at a high temperature during the manufacturing process, and when they come into contact with air they can easily become oxidized, which would tend to make them turn soft and crumble, and can even make them smell and taste rancid.
食藥署在臉書專頁「食用玩家-食藥署」及食藥好文網發文分享，洋芋片的製造過程會經高溫油炸，與空氣接觸後易氧化，導致洋芋片容易變軟、破碎，甚至還會產生油耗味，變得不好吃。
The TFDA explained that a sealed bag can prevent the chips from coming into contact with air, thus reducing oxidation and extending their shelf life. This it done by sealing them inside a plastic bag lined with a compound material such as tin foil or aluminum foil. As well as keeping out contamination by things like air, grease, damp and microbes, it can also help to prevent light exposure and reduce oxidation.
食藥署說明，密封包裝可以避免洋芋片接觸空氣，減少氧化的程度，延長保存期限。目前是運用內層有錫箔或鋁箔等複合性材質的塑膠包裝袋密封，不僅能阻擋空氣、油脂、潮濕、細菌微生物等外在汙染，錫箔或鋁箔的材質還可以輔助避光，減少氧化。
The TFDA says that food manufacturers pump the bags full of nitrogen to prevent the chips from being damaged and broken by knocking or crushing during transportation. Nitrogen is chemically stable and does not easily react with other substances. It is the most plentiful gas in the Earth’s atmosphere, comprising 78.09 percent of its total volume, which makes it easy and cheap to obtain. “Nitrogen flushing” technology can therefore be used to ensure the quality and safety of potato chips, making them look wholesome and taste good as well as keeping them free from contamination by bacteria or other microbes.
食藥署表示，為了避免洋芋片在運送的過程中因碰撞、擠壓而受損碎裂，食品製造業者會在包裝中填充足夠的氮氣量。氮氣的化學性質穩定，不容易與其他物質發生化學反應，也是地球大氣中含量最多的氣體，佔總體積的百分之七十八點零九，方便取得且成本較低，所以透過「氮氣充填」的技術，能確保洋芋片的品質與安全，使洋芋片外觀完整、口味好吃又不受細菌微生物汙染。 Source article:
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/10/12/2003765925
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Topic: Taiwanese cakes take London by storm
近年來，台灣美食小吃席捲不少國家，像是珍奶就成功擄獲外國人的胃。近日，美國網路媒體Insider在官方推特分享台式「車輪餅」製作影片，引起不少外國人好奇關注。
Taiwanese food has taken many countries by storm in recent years, such as boba milk tea. Recently, the U.S. online media Insider shared a video of the making of “Taiwaneses cakes” on its official Twitter account, drawing much attention from social media users.
Insider旗下美食頻道Food Insider於12月26日貼出一則影片，介紹位在英國倫敦的一家「小島車輪餅」，拍攝道地車輪餅的製作過程，並訪問台灣老闆林意庭。
Food Insider, a popular food channel, posted a video on Dec. 26, introducing a shop called “Wheelcake Island” in London.
在影片貼文中，外媒形容「這個最受歡迎的小吃點心就像兩片鬆軟的鬆餅夾內餡，你們想吃哪個口味呢？」
The tweet reads, “The popular street food snack is made by sandwiching a filling between two fluffy pancakes — which one would you like to try?”
影片中，林意庭受訪時向外國記者介紹道，「這是我們在台灣每天都會吃、非常受歡迎的傳統點心。」
In the video, Lin explained: “It’s a very popular traditional street snack we have every day in Taiwan.”
林意庭說，因為他們非常喜歡車輪餅，才決定把這樣美食帶到倫敦。
He added that they decided to bring the snack to London because they love wheelcakes very much.
「小島車輪餅」的吉祥物是一隻青蛙，因為林意庭覺得這隻青蛙符合他們的精神，「放鬆、享受生活，好似牠吃了幾噸重的車輪餅。」
Asked about the reason why they used a frog on their logo, Lin said: ” We feel like we like its spirit very much. Very relaxed and enjoying. Feels like he has eaten tons of wheelcakes.”
車輪餅餡料都是老闆一手包辦，真材實料，共販賣四種口味，分別是經典香草卡士達、牛奶巧克力、抹茶、以及紅豆。
Fillings, which are made from scratch, include four flavors: classic vanilla custard, milk chocolate, green tea, and adzuki beans.
每個車輪餅售價3英鎊 (約新台幣114元)。許多外國網友看到紛紛在影片下留言，「我想要做做看車輪餅」、「看起來好好吃」。
Each cake costs £3 (about NT$114). In response to the video, one social media user commented, “I would love to make them” while another said “Yummy.”
Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20201228-1965725