Day 069 - 19 Dec 94 - Page 20
1 case or a bag of product that will not meet their weight
2 requirements. In addition to that, the US DA will inspect
3 those weights. It is a requirement by law that they have
4 to meet the weights that are on their label.
5
6 From looking at this claim and seeing the equipment at
7 work, the weight variation is incredibly small, and that
8 can be detected. When you have 25 per cent of the product
9 missing, there is no way it can go through that process.
10
11 Q. If one package is 25 per cent light (which this one must
12 have been), if it originated in Tysons in this form, how do
13 Tysons deal with when it is found?
14 A. It will be rejected by the equipment.
15
16 Q. By the equipment itself?
17 A. Yes, that is correct.
18
19 Q. There is not a person that takes it off?
20 A. No. It will be rejected by the equipment and put aside
21 from the process, so the process can continue. Then there
22 will be a person who will look into that box to see why it
23 was rejected.
24
25 Q. Then please turn over to page 18. This does not seem to
26 have anything whatever do with human beings, but we had
27 better just have a quick look at it. It is a letter from
28 William Schwarzenbach, dated 6th February 1991, to Tysons
29 Foods at Fort Smith in Arkansas. It seems to concern the
30 supply of ground up chicken skins for pet food. Do you see
31 that in the second paragraph?
32 A. Yes, I do.
33
34 Q. They were apparently sold and shipped to Quaker Oats, a pet
35 food processor, in Rochelle, Illinois. Then it says:
36
37 "Although the product was not intended for use as human
38 food, it did not bear evidence of denaturing to prevent its
39 use for human consumption."
40
41 Can you explain, Dr. Gomez Gonzalez, what that sentence
42 means?
43 A. It means that the processing facilities are required by
44 law, by the US DA law, that any condemned meat, any product
45 that is not intended for human consumption, for whatever
46 reason -- such as skin in this case -- needs to be what is
47 called denatured. Denaturing process is a colour that is
48 added at the top of the container or whatever the product
49 happens to be at; then it is sent to wherever, a pet food
50 or rendering facility. At that facility, there is always
51 an inspector that will inspect the products. In this case,
52 it seems that it was not only Quaker Oats, but the
53 inspector also noticed that.
54
55 Q. The theory being that if you do not put a colour on it, it
56 might end up on a human table where it is not supposed to
57 be?
58 A. That is correct.
59
60 Q. I have finished with those complaint documents. Page 21 is
