Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 25


     
     1        A.  I beg your pardon, could you please repeat the
     2        question?
     3
     4   Q.   Do you know any sensible suggestion that the Surgeon
     5        General is in the pocket of the American food industry?
     6        A.  If by "in the pocket" you mean "influenced by",
     7        I would say, yes.
     8
     9   Q.   In what sense?
    10        A.  Well, the American government is quite commonly and
    11        quite heavily lobbied by food producers, both food
    12        producers and retailers.  I am not suggesting the Surgeon
    13        General is controlled by them or is entirely controlled by
    14        the food industry, but they are certainly influenced by
    15        them, I regret to say.
    16
    17   Q.   Does it follow from that, if there is anything in this
    18        book which does not accord with your thesis, that is
    19        because the American government has lent on the Surgeon
    20        General so as to oblige the food industry, whereas you
    21        will take from it what does support your theory; is that
    22        right?
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Can I ask a question about that?  We have
    25        what might be, for all I know, a similar figure in this
    26        country which is the Chief Medical Officer of the
    27        Department of Health.  He is a civil servant but not
    28        necessarily a lifelong one.  He may be brought in from
    29        medical practice when he is already quite senior in years
    30        and status.  But his position is not going to be changed.
    31        If our government changed, for instance, from a
    32        conservative one to a labour one he would remain the Chief
    33        Medical Officer in all normal circumstances.
    34        A.  Yes.
    35
    36   Q.   How does the Surgeon General compare with that position?
    37        A.  The Surgeon General is more likely to change office
    38        when the president -- when the party of the president
    39        changes.  Let me say, I have no desire to say anything bad
    40        about C. Everett Koop.  I think he did an excellent job in
    41        many areas.  I have to say, however, that I attended a
    42        lecture at the American Meat Institute Convention, which
    43        was quite professionally done, and C. Everett Koop was the
    44        invited speaker.
    45
    46        I have been concerned for a long time that nutrition
    47        authorities and health authorities are influenced by the
    48        meat industry and the dairy industry which are very, very
    49        strong in the United States.  The dairy industry itself
    50        has managed to gain direct government support to the 
    51        degree of $500 million to $2.5 billion per year simply to 
    52        buy up surplus products that they produce, and it is no 
    53        less embarrassing that the tobacco industry has gotten a
    54        number of favours along the same lines, although perhaps
    55        not as generous, and the meat industry does as well.
    56        Having said that, in spite of those difficulties, I think
    57        American health authorities have been able to say some
    58        rather sensible things at times, which is perhaps
    59        remarkable given the constraints they may operate under.
    60

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