Day 265 - 19 Jun 96 - Page 13
1 the diseases which are liable to kill people. It may sound
2 rather provocative put like that.
3
4 Q. And, of course, the figures that you give are for deaths
5 only, not for the incidences of the diseases?
6 A. Yes, that is correct.
7
8 Q. "Infectious and chronic diseases. It has been recently
9 claimed by experts in the field that foods containing beef
10 and other meat, such as McDonald's burgers, may have been a
11 cause of infection by and individual of deaths in the UK
12 from virulent microbial an other infection, including CJD.
13 It is not possible to make such claims about any foods and
14 chronic diseases, risk of which is affected by habitual
15 patterns of diet and, in particular, it is not possible to
16 prove that any individual has died from eating a particular
17 diet let alone a particular type of food. Judgments are
18 made on a population basis. The role of McDonald's food in
19 chronic killer diseases, in as much as McDonald's food are
20 a significant part of a habitual diet and given that the
21 nutritional profile of McDonald's foods is much the same as
22 that of the typical diet consumed in industrialised
23 countries such as the UK and the USA, McDonald's foods will
24 make a significant contribution to incidence of diseases,
25 risk of which is increased by such diets. In as much as
26 the nutritional profile of McDonald's foods is inferior to
27 that of a typical diet, McDonald's foods will make a
28 greater contribution to incidence of such diseases.
29 Relevant factors agreed by the UK Government include
30 content of total fat, saturated fats and salt, and also
31 fibre."
32 A. Let me interject there that, of course, I am talking
33 here -- when I refer to UK diet I am referring to
34 cardiovascular disease. As the Court must know by now, the
35 UK Government outside Scotland does not have a view on diet
36 and cancer because it will consider its view when the
37 current COMA panel on diet and cancer reports, which I
38 believe it will in about a year's time, perhaps earlier
39 than that.
40
41 Q. (Continuing to read): "The impact of McDonald's as a major
42 industry. The greater the marketing and advertising impact
43 of McDonald's the more successfully assertive McDonald's is
44 in making claims about the nutritional and other quality of
45 its food, and the greater the difference between McDonald's
46 food and a healthy diet the greater contribution of
47 McDonald's food will make to incidence of relevant diet
48 related diseases. A complicated factor relating to
49 McDonald's position as market leader in its field is its
50 influence on other industry, on public perception of what
51 is desirable food and on consumption of McDonald's type
52 food.
53
54 "The global significance of McDonald's. The impact of
55 McDonald's food is greatest in societies in transition,
56 traditional to industrial diets and life styles, notably in
57 Asia, Africa and Latin America and, in particular, in very
58 rapidly growing urban agglomerations such as Shanghai,
59 Mexico City and Bangkok. McDonald's, like Coco-Cola and
60 Marlborough, is the world leader in its field. Patterns of
