Day 247 - 10 May 96 - Page 60
1 Q. Right. But you would not -- sorry, you also said in your
2 examination-in-chief that you do not feel any
3 responsibility for the 180,000 deaths caused in this
4 country by heart disease.
5 A. No, I do not.
6
7 Q. If you did feel that there was a link between any of those
8 deaths and McDonald's food, would you take any action in
9 respect of that?
10 A. If I thought McDonald's food was providing a danger to
11 somebody I would make changes. I do not feel that way,
12 I never have. I think we could do what we did better, and
13 evidence has been provided by many other people to that as
14 we have reduced fats, as we have added items for greater
15 choice to the menu. I think that is probably the best form
16 of action McDonald's could ever take.
17
18 Q. To make their products healthier?
19 A. That is not what I said.
20
21 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We are back in the midst of the argument, are
22 we not?
23
24 MS. STEEL: Have you ever considered putting up signs in your
25 stores recommending that people do not eat there more often
26 than, say, once or twice a week at the most?
27 A. No. I am sorry, I did not mean to laugh.
28
29 Q. You also said in your evidence-in-chief that know of no
30 customers who have died of heart attacks as a consequence
31 of eating McDonald's food. But you do not follow up on
32 what happens to all your customers do you?
33 A. It is an impossible task.
34
35 Q. You cannot actually give us any remotely helpful evidence
36 about whether or not your customers are dying of heart
37 attacks?
38 A. I have no idea.
39
40 Q. Right. OK. When was the first McDonald's survey in this
41 country to try and find out how often people ate at
42 McDonald's?
43 A. It would have been many years ago, I am sure, as part
44 of a marketing exercise. But I cannot give you a date.
45
46 Q. You have no idea when it was?
47 A. No, it would have been a long time ago, probably in
48 conjunction with research that determined we have two
49 people fed for every transaction, but I do not know a date.
50
51 Q. When you had your examination-in-chief you were asked about
52 a statement in the leaflet which says that even their own
53 figures, i.e. McDonald's, show that a quarter-pounder is 48
54 per cent water. Mr. Rampton asked is water added to the
55 quarter-pounders; you said no. The leaflet does not
56 actually say that water is added to the quarter-pounder
57 does it?
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is not a question the witness can
60 answer. Mr. Rampton was querying whether the inference
