Day 099 - 08 Mar 95 - Page 62
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2
3 Q. I see, so these are not inconsistent; one is the UK and the
4 other is Europe?
5 A. Yes, the first figure I found out was for UK use and
6 then the second figure I found out was for European use.
7
8 Q. So this country -- this is sheer arithmetic -- uses just
9 over a third of the chickens used in Europe, supplied --
10 I say "this country", I mean McDonald's in this country --
11 raised by Sun Valley in a year?
12 A. That is right, yes -- just over a third.
13
14 Q. Sorry, I meant just over, yes. My Lord, I am obliged to
15 Mr. Atkinson who has drawn my attention to the fact that,
16 though they are not in any of Mr. Kenny's statements, there
17 are two additional cases referred to in the Particulars of
18 Defence. They are at tab 5. I am asking questions to
19 which I think but do not know that I know the answer. I
20 will, if I may, ask Mr. Kenny about these. They are on the
21 first page of the Particulars.
22
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
24
25 MR. RAMPTON: Mr. Kenny, it is alleged that in Knuttsford in
26 Cheshire in or around 1993, Wing Commander Derek Simmonds
27 died of food poisoning after eating at the local
28 McDonald's. Do you know anything about that incident?
29 A. No, I have never heard of that.
30
31 Q. Do you think that if somebody had, indeed, been killed by
32 the food eaten at McDonald's you would have heard about it?
33 A. Definitely, yes.
34
35 Q. In 1993?
36 A. Definitely, yes.
37
38 Q. Do you think that is something that the company would have
39 taken seriously?
40 A. Most definitely. They would have to have taken it
41 extremely seriously.
42
43 Q. Then it is alleged that in Kendal, which I think is
44 nowadays in Cumbria, in or around 1993 a case of food
45 poisoning of a McDonald's customer led to legal action for
46 compensation. I am afraid no name is given, nor what the
47 kind of food poisoning was supposed to have been. Do you
48 know anything about that?
49 A. No, I have no recollection of that.
50
51 Q. Never mind cases which are actually established, are cases
52 complaint which appear to be serious, rather than trivial
53 or a try-on or a fraud, routinely brought to the attention
54 of your department?
55 A. Yes, they are.
56
57 Q. This is my last question before I sit down: Do you have a
58 view to what extent, if any, complaints about food
59 poisoning, foreign bodies, and so on, matters related to
60 the food which you serve, are made up? To what extent do
