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

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