Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 21


     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.  (Pause)  I will come back at half past
     2        12.  It will give you time to look through your papers.
     3
     4   MS. STEEL:   Thank you.
     5
     6                         (Short Adjournment)
     7
     8   MS. STEEL:   Just on the third part of the meaning, which
     9        relates to -- actually it is the second and third part,
    10        about frequency of visits and McDonald's encouraging people
    11        to eat their food more often despite the fact that it is
    12        not sensible to encourage people to eat that type of food,
    13        we had Mr. Beavers from the McDonald's Corporation who
    14        agreed that McDonald's have pioneered production methods
    15        and created an industry which has helped to expand the
    16        eating-out sector.
    17
    18        And he said that half of all meals in the USA are now eaten
    19        outside of the home, which was apparently an increase from
    20        one in three around 15 to 20 years ago.  And he said what
    21        this was a worldwide trend, that lifestyles are changing
    22        and that McDonald's have played a part in that.  Can I just
    23        say, I am probably not going to come back to Mr. Beavers on
    24        nutrition, so if I give you the references for that now.
    25
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    27
    28   MS. STEEL:   The pioneering production methods is day 123, page
    29        30, line 59.  The expanding the eating-out sector part is
    30        day 123, page 31, line 37.  The half of all meals in the
    31        USA now eaten outside of the home is 123, page 32, line
    32        13.  The lifestyles are changing and McDonald's are playing
    33        a part in that is day 123, page 32, line 48.
    34
    35        And he went on to say that in countries where there had
    36        previously been no hamburger tradition, advertising was
    37        part of the parcel in establishing the company's influence
    38        on the diet.  That was day 123, page 40, line 3.  In
    39        relation to that, he said that their food was advertised as
    40        nutritious, which I presume is not particularly in dispute,
    41        but just in case it is, that is day 123, page 41, line 33.
    42        When I say it is not in dispute, I mean the fact that it is
    43        advertised as nutritious is not in dispute, not whether or
    44        not it is nutritious.  Obviously, that is in dispute.
    45
    46        Just in case this ever comes up -- I am not really sure
    47        whether or not McDonald's have actually dropped this - they
    48        appear to have, seeing as it is blindingly obvious common
    49        sense - about the statement in the fact sheet that the high
    50        sodium and sugar content can make people develop a kind of
    51        addiction - a craving, and McDonald's had objected to that
    52        in their Statement of Claim.
    53
    54   MR. RAMPTON:   My Lord, I thought I made that clear this
    55        morning.  If the Defendants are going to prove that
    56        McDonald's food may well make people's diets high in the
    57        various substances and low in the others, then they could,
    58        if they wanted, satisfy your Lordship that there was
    59        evidence that it was addictive.  That would be one route to
    60        that result.

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