Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 34


     
     1        has a high sodium and sugar content and in particular, for
     2        example, the fizzy drinks have sugar as virtually their
     3        sole so-called nutrient.  That was on day 33, page 8.  And
     4        that generally, when you compared McDonald's food with
     5        other foodstuffs, the difference in the percentage of
     6        calories from fat is striking.  That was on day 33, page
     7        8.
     8
     9        Dr. Barnard also stated that virtually all animal products
    10        contain zero fibre and substantial amounts of fat.  For
    11        example, the leanest beef is about 30 percent of fat.  That
    12        was day 34, page 19.  Obviously, that is relevant to the
    13        part in the leaflet referring to a diet high in animal
    14        products, basically because of the saturated fat in
    15        particular.
    16
    17        Moving on to the second part of the meaning, and because
    18        eating McDonald's food may well make your diet high in fat,
    19        sugar, animal products and salt, sodium and low in fibre,
    20        vitamins and minerals, we say that that is basically a
    21        sensible reminder to the members of the public, urging
    22        caution and highlighting the dangers.  And this also is
    23        well supported by the evidence heard in this trial.
    24
    25        Professor Wheelock accepted that if someone was to eat
    26        McDonald's food too frequently or -- and we say that is the
    27        important point -- eat similar food at other restaurants
    28        or, for that matter, anywhere else, that that would concern
    29        him.  That was day 15, page 23.  We would say that in many
    30        respects the number of times you eat at McDonald's assumes
    31        secondary importance when this point is seen and is
    32        conceded, as it has to be, by the Plaintiffs since
    33        Professor Wheelock is their consultant.
    34
    35        But the reality is that people are not going to McDonald's
    36        eating their high fat, low fibre meal and then spending the
    37        rest of the week being extremely careful about their diet
    38        and making sure every meal is a healthy option or
    39        whatever.  The reality is that for the vast majority of
    40        people, the meals that they eat at McDonald's are going to
    41        be typical of what they eat elsewhere; they are going to be
    42        eating bars of chocolate, bags of crisps and, you know,
    43        burgers and whatever else when they eat at home or when
    44        they eat at other restaurants.
    45
    46   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Well, I will consider that, but do you have
    47        to go that high?   I mean, would it be sufficient for your
    48        purposes if whether or not they eat a lot of crisps,
    49        chocolate bars or burgers in the rest of the week, just
    50        that they do not spend the rest of the week trying to keep
    51        fat, sodium - I have to say I am less concerned with sugar
    52        in the light of the evidence as it came out - down and
    53        fibre up?
    54
    55   MS. STEEL:   I mean, I am not trying to say that every single
    56        meal of their waking week is going to be, you know, a bag
    57        of crisps or a bar of chocolate.  All I am saying is that
    58        looking at it realistically -----
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   You say they have a run-of-the-mill diet

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