Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 07
1 rely on them.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It may well be at the end of the day that
4 that is to no avail because I do not think they are
5 relevant. The only safe way to approach it is to say to me
6 what you want to say about those other diseases as well.
7
8 MR. MORRIS: Okay.
9
10 MS. STEEL: Right. Well, I am going to start with a kind of
11 summary of what our view is and then go on to specific
12 references and giving you specific references. I hope to
13 have a printout of at least some of those, probably
14 tomorrow.
15
16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
17
18 MS. STEEL: We would obviously argue that during the course of
19 this trial the evidence that has emerged has overwhelmingly
20 supported our case. First and foremost, we have the
21 admission in McDonald's own publication, "Good Food,
22 Nutrition and McDonald's", that was published in 1985, that
23 there is a considerable amount of evidence to suggest that
24 many of the diseases which are more common in the western
25 affluent world - diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high
26 blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and some forms of
27 cancer - are related to diet. The typical western diet is
28 relatively low in dietary fibre (roughage) and high in fat,
29 salt and sugar.
30
31 Lower down on the page in the same document: "Many
32 countries have therefore published dietary guidelines,
33 general recommendations concerning diet which are aimed at
34 the whole population in order to prevent these diseases and
35 to promote good health."
36
37 Obviously, they would not be publishing dietary guidelines
38 if they did not consider that it was going to have an
39 effect, and that is indicated by the words 'prevent these
40 diseases'. That is a clear indication in McDonald's own
41 publication that there is a causal relationship between the
42 type of diet as promoted by McDonald's, that is high in
43 fat, salt and sugar and low in fibre, and diseases such as
44 heart disease and breast and bowel cancer, or some forms of
45 cancer in any event. I don't think they actually specify
46 breast and bowel cancer, but I think that is pretty
47 irrelevant seeing as I don't think some people say 'I am
48 not worried about that type of diet if it gives me X type
49 of cancer, only if it gives me Y type'.
50
51 The document does go on to say it is important to remember
52 that although diet is an important contributory factor to
53 these diseases, it is not the only one. The point is from
54 that, that they are recognising that it is an important
55 contributory factor to those diseases. Again, that is a
56 clear indication that the relationship is regarded as
57 causal, and that is by McDonald's.
58
59 When we got hold of this booklet, which I think was in
60 1993, we used that passage to plead, the passage which
