Day 032 - 06 Oct 94 - Page 74


     
     1        A.  I think I still would.  I think 15 per cent heavy
     2        consumption, as they call it, across the UK population is
     3        significant and if McDonald's, as earlier figures show,
     4        are responsible for three-quarters of burger consumption
     5        from fastfood outlets, then I would say that is a
     6        responsibility that should be undertaken.
     7
     8   Q.   It is not actually 15 per cent of the population; it is 50
     9        per cent of customers at McDonald's?
    10        A.  15 per cent of those that have visited McDonald's.
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    13
    14   MR. RAMPTON:  It is people who have been there?
    15        A.  You may have a problem with resampling, of course,
    16        because if they are there often you may get them sampled
    17        twice.
    18
    19   Q.   I am sure that may be so.  We will have to make, as I have
    20        said before, sure as we can that these figures are
    21        accurate by whatever method his Lordship requires by way
    22        of proper proof.  Suppose that you ignore the four per
    23        cent, take the 11 per cent, which is the major part of
    24        your 15 per cent.  There is no danger to me if I eat a
    25        McDonald's once a week, is there, in itself?
    26        A.  Well, I do not want to answer that because I do not
    27        feel that eating a single meal can be taken as a piece of
    28        useful analysis of someone's health.
    29
    30   Q.   I entirely agree with you, Dr. Lobstein.  If I eat a
    31        McDonald's meal once a week and I fill up the rest of my
    32        week with fish and chips, pork pies, salt beef, goodness
    33        knows what all, then plainly the McDonald's meal is making
    34        its proportionate contribution to risk to my health but no
    35        more than that; is that right?
    36        A.  Yes.
    37
    38   Q.   If I should die of a heart attack prematurely because I
    39        have been stuffing my face with saturated fat for most of
    40        my life, you could not, could you, say that McDonald's
    41        took any major part of the blame for that?
    42        A.  I would in the sense that if, as you say, 11 per cent
    43        of the population are eating with that frequency and one
    44        single company is providing that 11 per cent with a weekly
    45        meal, then I would say that company does have a
    46        responsibility, compared with the multitude of individual
    47        shops who might find it much more difficult to take such
    48        responsibility.  Here you are talking about a large
    49        company spread across the whole of the country.
    50 
    51   Q.   Providing one meal a day for 11 per cent of its customers? 
    52        A.  Per week. 
    53
    54   Q.   Sorry, one week for 11 per cent of its customers?
    55        A.  Yes.
    56
    57   Q.   If, on the other hand, in contrast to the hypothetical
    58        picture which I painted of myself, I went home after my
    59        McDonald's meal and ate a sensible, what you would call a
    60        sensible meal, let us say, of wholewheat bread and salad,

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