你最喜歡的零食是什麼？從對人們飲食習慣和需求的調研，再到探索原材料，食品公司是怎樣創新並研發出深受大傢喜愛的零食的？這些公司在選擇零食原材料時，通常需要考慮哪些因素？本文探討新零食產品的靈感來源。
詞匯：snacks 零食
Are you feeling peckish? Maybe it’s a while until your next meal, so perhaps now you’re thinking about reaching for a brightly coloured packet with something delicious inside. Maybe it’s time for a snack. You’re not alone, we all do it – but just how much work goes into developing and making the snacks that we all know and love?
First, companies have to work out what people have an appetite for. Traditionally, they might just have asked people about their snack habits. In today’s digital age, apps can ask customers to swipe right on the flavours they fancy. Companies can search the internet for every restaurant menu in a specific market, looking out for the latest taste trends and in-demand ingredients.
Snack trends also change over time. When British supermarkets were encouraged to remove unhealthy snacks from the shelves next to where people queue up, companies were quick to provide healthier treats. They can also reflect different histories of migration. One British snack company found that flavours common in South Asian cuisine sold well in the UK, but less so in the US, where there is less of a tradition of Indian food. And demand for more sustainability has led some entrepreneurs to experiment with using insects as an alternative source of protein for snacks. Other brands market themselves as offering a fairer price to the producers of the raw ingredients.
Of course, what might seem like the perfect idea might not actually be that practical. Ingredients that work well in a restaurant, might not work on a biscuit or crisp. Snacks that contain a lot of fresh ingredients may have too short a shelf life to be a viable product. Some designs might need expensive packaging to protect them, which stops them being profitable.
There are many factors that influence our snacks. Those that are successful reflect our tastes and concerns but can be limited by the manufacturing process.
詞匯表
peckish 有些餓的
meal （一頓）飯，餐
packet 小包，小袋
delicious 美味的
have an appetite for 對胃口，愛吃
flavour （食物或飲料的）口味，味道
menu 菜單
taste 味道
in-demand ingredient 熱門的原料，需求量大的成分
treat 零食
cuisine 菜肴，烹飪
protein 蛋白質
raw ingredient 原材料
biscuit 餅幹
crisp 薯片
fresh ingredient 新鮮食材
shelf life 保質期
packaging 包裝，包裝材料
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What can companies search for to decide which new snacks to produce?
2. How did snack companies react to pressure to move unhealthy snacks in supermarkets?
3. True or False? South Asian cuisine is more popular in the US than the UK.
4. What could be an alternative protein source for snacks?
5. Why might fresh ingredients be a problem in snacks?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. I have a snack when I’m feeling _______.
fresh appetite peckish crisp
2. It’s good to share a _______ of biscuits.
packaging appetite menu packet
3. You can really taste the _______ of this ice cream.
menu crisp treat flavour
4. Snack products with a short _______ can be impractical.
taste menu appetite shelf life
5. Interpersonal communication is one of the _______ skills that many employers look for when they hire new talents.
crisp peckish in-demand treat
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What can companies search for to decide which new snacks to produce?
Some companies search for every restaurant menu in a specific market.
2. How did snack companies react to pressure to move unhealthy snacks in supermarkets?
Snack companies started to offer healthier snacks.
3. True or False? South Asian cuisine is more popular in the US than the UK.
False. The snack company mentioned found it easier to sell snacks based on South Asian flavours in the UK.
4. What could be an alternative protein source for snacks?
Some entrepreneurs have tried using insects as a protein source for snacks.
5. Why might fresh ingredients be a problem in snacks?
Because fresh ingredients may have too short a shelf life for companies to be able to make a profit from them.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. I have a snack when I’m feeling peckish.
2. It’s good to share a packet of biscuits.
3. You can really taste the flavour of this ice cream.
4. Snack products with a short shelf life can be impractical.
5. Interpersonal communication is one of the in-demand skills that many employers look for when they hire new talents.
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