Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 21
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. (Pause) I will come back at half past
2 12. It will give you time to look through your papers.
3
4 MS. STEEL: Thank you.
5
6 (Short Adjournment)
7
8 MS. STEEL: Just on the third part of the meaning, which
9 relates to -- actually it is the second and third part,
10 about frequency of visits and McDonald's encouraging people
11 to eat their food more often despite the fact that it is
12 not sensible to encourage people to eat that type of food,
13 we had Mr. Beavers from the McDonald's Corporation who
14 agreed that McDonald's have pioneered production methods
15 and created an industry which has helped to expand the
16 eating-out sector.
17
18 And he said that half of all meals in the USA are now eaten
19 outside of the home, which was apparently an increase from
20 one in three around 15 to 20 years ago. And he said what
21 this was a worldwide trend, that lifestyles are changing
22 and that McDonald's have played a part in that. Can I just
23 say, I am probably not going to come back to Mr. Beavers on
24 nutrition, so if I give you the references for that now.
25
26 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
27
28 MS. STEEL: The pioneering production methods is day 123, page
29 30, line 59. The expanding the eating-out sector part is
30 day 123, page 31, line 37. The half of all meals in the
31 USA now eaten outside of the home is 123, page 32, line
32 13. The lifestyles are changing and McDonald's are playing
33 a part in that is day 123, page 32, line 48.
34
35 And he went on to say that in countries where there had
36 previously been no hamburger tradition, advertising was
37 part of the parcel in establishing the company's influence
38 on the diet. That was day 123, page 40, line 3. In
39 relation to that, he said that their food was advertised as
40 nutritious, which I presume is not particularly in dispute,
41 but just in case it is, that is day 123, page 41, line 33.
42 When I say it is not in dispute, I mean the fact that it is
43 advertised as nutritious is not in dispute, not whether or
44 not it is nutritious. Obviously, that is in dispute.
45
46 Just in case this ever comes up -- I am not really sure
47 whether or not McDonald's have actually dropped this - they
48 appear to have, seeing as it is blindingly obvious common
49 sense - about the statement in the fact sheet that the high
50 sodium and sugar content can make people develop a kind of
51 addiction - a craving, and McDonald's had objected to that
52 in their Statement of Claim.
53
54 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I thought I made that clear this
55 morning. If the Defendants are going to prove that
56 McDonald's food may well make people's diets high in the
57 various substances and low in the others, then they could,
58 if they wanted, satisfy your Lordship that there was
59 evidence that it was addictive. That would be one route to
60 that result.
