Day 107 - 24 Mar 95 - Page 62
1 deliberately: Did it apply only to salmonellosis? You
2 said, no, it applies to food poisoning generally as well as
3 salmonellosis.
4 A. Yes, I can accept that we had a wider remit.
5
6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: When you get a statement like the one under
7 "Keeping things in proportion", that is meant to refer to
8 food poisoning cases in general?
9 A. Yes.
10
11 Q. Not just salmonellosis from eggs?
12 A. Yes.
13
14 Q. That is right, is it?
15 A. Yes.
16
17 MR. RAMPTON: You say and I, of course, would support you to the
18 hilt, that we should keep in perspective the number of food
19 poisoning cases as a percentage of the number of meals
20 eaten?
21 A. Yes, agreed.
22
23 Q. We saw in your earlier paper how you said that the number
24 of cooks who caused food poisoning are absolutely tiny in
25 comparison with the number that do not, which is a
26 different way of expressing the same proposition, is it
27 not?
28 A. In agreeing may I add that this is directed towards
29 regulation, external regulation by government, and we are
30 telling the government to keep sense of perspective.
31
32 Q. Can I read on: "Statistically you have a much greater
33 chance of developing food poisoning whilst in hospital than
34 from eating sandwiches from your local corner cafe." Can
35 I pause there?
36 A. Yes.
37
38 Q. Would you agree that whereas that may well be right, and
39 I will not disagree with what you said there, you also
40 stand a far greater chance of getting food poisoning from
41 sandwiches at your local corner cafe made with cooked meat
42 and kept in an unrefrigerated cabinet than you do from
43 eating a Chicken McNugget at a McDonald's restaurant?
44 A. It that is an awful generalisation. I could not
45 comment.
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It might be said the sentence which
48 Mr. Rampton said to you is a generalisation, but
49 approaching it in the same spirit, what do you say about
50 his suggestion?
51 A. Well, if that sandwich, let us develop it, was
52 cornedbeef straight out of the tin you could leave it
53 around ----
54
55 MR. RAMPTON: It is a ham sandwich, what in Scotland they call
56 cooked ham, right, it has been left in a sandwich in an
57 ordinary cafe on a corner, in a piece of bread with some
58 perhaps marge or some butter on it on it?
59 A. Mr. Rampton, I will accept your proposition.
60
