Day 168 - 03 Oct 95 - Page 49


     
     1        pieces of meat on a grill that is allowed to have nine
     2        pieces of meat on it?
     3        A.  The Company does not say anything about it now because
     4        there was a time when we cooked 12 pieces of meat.  The
     5        Company standard was to cook 12 pieces of meat on there.
     6        The Company standard is now to cook nine pieces on there,
     7        so we now cook nine pieces of meat on there.
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   How many quarter pounders when you ----
    10        A.  We used to cook nine and we now cook six.
    11
    12   Q.   When did that change?
    13        A.  At least a year ago.  Other than that I cannot be more
    14        specific, sorry.
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  What was the reason for bringing in that edict --
    17        is it an edict that went to all stores?
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Let us keep away from edicts.  I had enough
    20        about that when I was studying Ancient History.  I do not
    21        want to go back to edicts.
    22
    23   MR. MORRIS:  When this policy ----
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Instruction, call it.
    26
    27   MR. MORRIS:  Instruction, what was the rationale for that then?
    28        A.  The Company, I believe, ran a general overhaul of all
    29        of its cooking procedures with regard to meat bearing
    30        sandwiches, and one of the recommendations they came up was
    31        that new guidelines be issued with cooking times, cooking
    32        temperatures and that sort of thing, and specifically for
    33        meat, the cooking temperature -- the cooking time was
    34        increased and the amount you were allowed to cook in one
    35        particular batch was decreased.
    36
    37   Q.   So there was concern over food safety, basically?
    38        A.  I have no idea.  I assume -- I played no part in the
    39        decision making process.
    40
    41   Q.   Are you saying when, about a year ago, when you got this
    42        memo or instruction, that was when the ----
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, I am sorry; he said "at least a year
    45        ago", not "about a year ago."
    46
    47   MR. MORRIS:  Do you know approximately when it was ----
    48        A.  I do not.  I mean, it definitely -- it was at least a
    49        year ago; it might even have been two years.  I am unsure
    50        of the time, to be honest. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Between one or two years ago, that was part of a parcel of 
    53        increasing the internal temperatures, was it, or was it the
    54        grill temperatures?
    55        A.  No, I do not think it is intended to increase the
    56        internal temperature of the meat.  It is designed to make
    57        sure that the meat cooks for a sufficient length of time,
    58        I think, and that there is absolutely no chance whatsoever
    59        of any uncooked product reaching the customer.
    60

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