CHICAGO-For working parents and heavily scheduled school kids, family mealtime is out of fashion. But supermarkets are trying to attract families back to the dinner table.
There is a cost if family members have meals apart: research shows that teenagers who don’t eat with their parents face a greater risk of drug and alcohol problems.
“The more often kids have dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.” said Joseph Califano Jr. head of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse which did the research.
Stores are familiar with the idea and will start telling shoppers about the findings and encouraging them to share meals together at home, instead of separately or at restaurants.
The food marketing Institute will give $25.000 to the center and help stores promote the center’s Family Day in September.
Many stores have grab-and-go dinners and recipe cards. Some have kiosks where people can taste a main dish, then pick out side dishes.
“Our members have worked hard to try to have easily prepared food either ready to eat or ready to take home,” said Tim Hammonds, the institute’s president and chief executive.
Los Angeles-based Contessa Premium Foods makes frozen delicious meals, which a family can heat in 10 minutes to 12 minutes. “That’s nearly as fast as a TV dinner,” said president and chief executive John Z.Blazevich, “but is healthier and makes people feel like they actually cooked.”
“The preparation is the hardest part, so we try to combine a variety of tastes and flavours from around the world and make it fast and easy,” he said.
“Eating at home helps keep meals healthy and teaches kids how to eat right. If we can get people back to having family dinners, parents back to being engaged with their kids, it will have a surprising impact,” he said.
【小题1】The reasons why family mealtime is out of fashion are the following EXCEPT ________.| A．the parents are busy with work |
| B．the children have a little spare time |
| C．the children are not fond of family meal |
| D．It will take much time to cook and eat at home |
| A．gains | B．a sum of money |
| C．advantage | D．something you lose |
| A．telling the parents the disadvantages of having dinner separately |
| B．offering various prepared food to make family cooking fast and easy |
| C．taking part in Family Day activities in September |
| D．helping housewives prepare their meals at homeI |
| A．The efforts that are being made to get people back to having family dinners. |
| B．The benefits of having family dinners together. |
| C．The changes in American family dinners. |
| D．A research done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. |
