Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 29
1 implied criticism there of McDonald's food, that McDonald's
2 food plays a part in that equation.
3
4 Now, of course, it is in a McDonald's pamphlet, but the
5 association is there.
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, is that right? I thought you were
8 going to say it is implicit that you can eat at McDonald's
9 and have a healthy diet.
10
11 MR. MORRIS: Yes, that as well. That is true, and that was one
12 the problems with the 1987 advertising campaign, that they
13 were implying that the balance could come from within -----
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I understand that point.
16
17 MR. MORRIS: I am making the point of the context being...
18 Because it may be said that this is a sort of abstract
19 statement about links between diet and disease.
20
21 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Oh, no.
22
23 MR. MORRIS: It is actually in the context of McDonald's food,
24 that is what I am saying.
25
26 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
27
28 MR. MORRIS: Because that is what was said about the London
29 Greenpeace fact sheet, that it is clearly critical of
30 McDonald's food. I am saying that any member of the public
31 reading that, despite their own pamphlet, would see that it
32 relates to McDonald's food.
33
34 Dr. Arnott was asked about this on page 31 of day 22 and he
35 was asked about a quote from that McDonald's pamphlet which
36 said, "It is important to remember that although diet is an
37 important contributory factor to these diseases it is not
38 the only one". Question, "Do you think that would be a
39 quite reasonable position in 1985 and still a reasonable
40 position?" Answer, "I think it is very reasonable." Then I
41 said, "It is an important contributory factor, not may
42 be". Answer, "They are saying it is an important
43 contributory factor...", et cetera.
44
45 Then the next point is the important point. I said,
46 "Including cancer, some forms of cancer, it does not say
47 which forms, it just says some forms of cancer." Answer,
48 "But I mean, it is a very reasonable position to take."
49
50 So what I am saying here is that Dr. Arnott, as we will
51 hear, anyway, was trying to say it was all a bit cloudy
52 but, when faced with both the McDonald's pamphlet and the
53 London Greenpeace fact sheet, clearly defended that as a
54 reasonable position to take in a public document, saying
55 that diet is an important contributory factor to heart
56 disease and cancer.
57
58 The last point about that 1985 pamphlet is that Paul
59 Preston said he would be happy to print it again, when he
60 was in the box.
