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
