Day 016 - 22 Jul 94 - Page 35
1 expressed on pages 59 and 60.
2 Q. Those products listed would basically be colourless
because they are more or less sugar?
3 A. Well, it would certainly be the case with boiled
sweets -- well, it would be sugar there; with ice lollies
4 there would be a fair amount of water in them.
5 Q. Also sugar?
A. Yes, there would be.
6
Q. So this body that you are quoting is saying that we should
7 add colouring to products such as these?
A. No. What they were doing there was simply giving an
8 explanation of the reasoning at that time that would apply
to the use of colours in foods and, as I say, that was in
9 1979.
10 Q. Right.
A. Whereas I think the more recent position would be that
11 expressed by the EC, and again this relates to food
additives generally, but you can see there are four
12 points, ABC and D, on pages 59 and 60.
13 Q. Under D, do you think that it is a good idea to use
colourings for products such as that?
14 A. To be honest, I do not have any strong views on it.
15 Q. I think you told us previously that sugar is basically
empty calories; there are no other nutrients in it or
16 perhaps, if you have it, it is somewhere in your
statement?
17 A. Again I agree with that.
18 Q. So, you are adding colour to things like that, then we are
basically trying to encourage people to eat something that
19 is more or less worthless?
A. Well, or making them more attractive. I am not saying
20 that sugar is worthless. It is, of course, a source of
calories. These products here are also a source of
21 enjoyment and provided one does not eat them excessively,
then I see no objection to them.
22
Q. But what it seems to be saying here is that people would
23 eat them less if they did not have the colouring in them
because they would not find them so attractive?
24 A. Maybe, yes.
25 MR. MORRIS: Just on the subject of making foods more
attractive, is that because it is accepted in the
26 population that people will want their food to be
attractive?
27 A. Yes, I think that is fair comment.
28 Q. Yes, OK. So companies such as McDonald's have a right to
that?
29 A. That is allowed for in the way in which the
legislation in additives is framed.
30
Q. So do McDonald's use that then, they use additives to make
