Day 016 - 22 Jul 94 - Page 47


     
     1        E numbers?  Is your advice that something has to be proved
              that it is harmful before they do not use it, or something
     2        has to be proved that it is harmless and then it could be
              used?
     3        A.  No.  I have not been involved in additives very much
              with McDonald's, but the position in McDonald's is quite
     4        clear.  They will only use additives which are approved by
              the regulatory authorities.  The regulatory authorities
     5        accept, fully accept, the responsibility to determine the
              safety of the additives that are going to be allowed or
     6        that are going to be permitted for use, and they also lay
              down the conditions under which they are used.  I mean,
     7        I am quite satisfied that any additives that are used in
              McDonald's are done in accordance with the regulations.
     8
         Q.   Yes.  All I am saying is that is it not a fact that the
     9        regulations put the burden of proof on the safety of an
              additive, that the proof has to prove that it is harmful
    10        before it is withdrawn ---
              A.  No, again -----
    11
         Q.  -- rather than it has to be proved it is harmless?
    12
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is that so?  I mean, without knowing, I
    13        would have thought that any regulatory body might well
              think that if there was just a possibility of an additive
    14        doing very serious harm, then they would need no more than
              that to say that it should not be used.  If there it is
    15        somewhere in the middle as to whether it does or does not
              cause harm, but if it does cause harm it is very, very
    16        minor harm, or disability, then they might take a
              different attitude.
    17
              Do they have arbitrary rules or do they apply what they
    18        see as their own sound judgment to any particular
              additive?
    19        A.  All I can say is that my understanding is that when a
              petition comes forward to allow a new additive, that they
    20        have to be satisfied that all the necessary evidence is
              available, all the proper tests have been done to be able
    21        to demonstrate that it is safe for use.  I mean, I am not
              involved in that process myself, but Professor Walker is
    22        and he will be able to comment on that from his own
              experience.
    23
         MR. MORRIS:  Let me just go through them briefly, the ones we
    24        have pleaded.
 
    25   MS. STEEL:  Just going over to the next page, slightly off ---
  
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Which page now? 
  
    27   MS. STEEL:  -- this track -- page 66, is salmonella a major
              cause of food poisoning?
    28        A.  Yes.
 
    29   Q.   What is the product most commonly associated with that?
              A.  One of them would be raw poultry.
    30
         Q.   I think Mrs. Curry was talking about eggs as well?

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