Day 039 - 20 Oct 94 - Page 60


     
     1                       (Short Adjournment)
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  A final question is how do you feel, bearing in
     4        mind these compounds are in existence, are used, for
     5        example, by McDonald's, how do you feel they should
     6        communicate the implications or the usage of these
     7        compounds to customers?
     8        A.  In my experience, companies endeavour to comply with
     9        the letter of the law and do not always go out of their way
    10        to provide more information than the minimum lawfully
    11        required.  There are requirements on packaged foods sold
    12        for retail and additives needed to be listed, either by
    13        name or chemical number.
    14
    15   Q.   Listed how?
    16        A.  As I say, for additives either ----
    17
    18   Q.   Listed where?
    19        A.  On the package, either by name or number.  I am of the
    20        opinion on record of arguing that there is a loophole there
    21        because there is a tendency not to use E numbers, but to
    22        use chemical names and people have been known to pick a
    23        product up and say:  "Oh, there is no E number in that", a
    24        misleading impression they might have gained.  But there
    25        are no corresponding requirements for foods sold in
    26        catering establishments to be labelled, either when it is
    27        served on a plate or in a bowl as it is in many
    28        restaurants, or when it is sold in packages as it is, for
    29        example, in fast-food outlets such as McDonald's.
    30
    31   Q.   In short, what do you think McDonald's should do or should
    32        be doing?
    33        A.  I think the labelling regulations should be amended to
    34        require foods sold in the kinds of packages typical of
    35        fast-food outlets which list the ingredients upon those
    36        packages.  There is no particular reason why they should
    37        not do that.  I can understand how a small restaurant might
    38        have a menu that varies from day-to-day or week-to-week and
    39        they do not have standardised lists.  But, if there is a
    40        catering company in this world whose products are
    41        standardised it must be McDonald's, though many of their
    42        competitors are, perhaps, seeking to be standardised to a
    43        similar extent.  So, I see no particular difficulty at all
    44        for the company in providing comprehensive ingredient
    45        listing on the packages of the food in which they dispense
    46        their products.
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:  No further questions.
    49
    50                      Cross-examined by MR. RAMPTON 
    51 
    52   MR. RAMPTON:  Dr. Millstone, for all your great expertise, you 
    53        do not run a worldwide food retailing business, do you?
    54        A.  I most certainly do not, though I have endeavoured to
    55        study such organisations.
    56
    57   Q.   Can I remind you of something you said yesterday, please?
    58        I will read from the transcript.  You need not worry I will
    59        misrepresent what you say.
    60        A.  Could I ask you to speak a little louder?

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