Day 078 - 26 Jan 95 - Page 49
1 something about: "There is a limit to the percentage of
2 frozen beef which we can incorporate into the finished
3 patties"?
4 A. Yes.
5
6 Q. Just explain what that means.
7 A. Well, as the McDonald's patty is a fresh meat patty, to
8 get the quality that McDonald's require, it has to be
9 fresh, but we spend a lot of time talking about
10 bacteriology. There is a technical reason why in each
11 batch you put 10 per cent frozen, and that is to keep the
12 temperature down from the friction of grinding when you are
13 making the burger. To make the perfect burger is a fresh
14 meat burger, but you have 10 per cent just to hold the
15 temperature down. That meat must not be more than plus one
16 degree when it gets to the forming machines.
17
18 Q. So the usual percentage of frozen beef put into the
19 manufacturing process is 10 per cent, roughly?
20 A. Maximum.
21
22 Q. Maximum is 10 per cent. So this balance sheet beef would
23 have only made up 10 per cent of the patty?
24 A. That has been my point all along. In the context £1.4
25 million of meat a week, 83 tonnes over six months is
26 peanuts.
27
28 Q. When you said that the Ministry of Agriculture had put --
29 "They were pressing at the highest level, i.e. ministerial
30 level, to get us accepted for the balance sheet beef", why
31 was it at such a high level?
32 A. It was a matter of principle. Balance sheet was
33 available, balance sheet was available to manufacturers
34 within the United Kingdom. It was perceived that we
35 contributed, as a company and as an organisation, as much
36 to the farming community of this country or more than any
37 other food manufacturer using meat. It was a point of
38 principle that if there was a scheme which would help us
39 economically, we should have access to it. It did become
40 political because Customs & Excise were saying "no" and the
41 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were saying
42 "yes".
43
44 Q. Mr. Oakley talked about meetings with Ministers where
45 suppliers attended; did you attend meetings with
46 Ministers? I think he talked about dinners with Ministers?
47 A. On this subject?
48
49 Q. Yes.
50 A. No.
51
52 Q. But other occasions you have done?
53 A. Other occasions I have met Ministers, yes.
54
55 Q. Were you hoping that once the balance sheet scheme, if it
56 had worked, there would have been a long-term success for
57 McDonald's?
58 A. Yes, I was hoping that -- that was me, personally, yes.
59
60 Q. Does that mean that the regularity would have increased or
