Day 246 - 09 May 96 - Page 51
1 cannot help on that.
2
3 MR. MORRIS: Right.
4
5 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You will not just rely on the Daily Mirror;
6 you will say you had information from other places as well.
7
8 MR. MORRIS: Yes. (To the witness): Do you know that the ten
9 level tea spoonfuls of sugar in the milk shake -- that is
10 something I have seen in places and that is something you
11 have heard as well as being the equivalent sugar amount in
12 the milkshakes?
13 A. I have heard it but I do not know whether it is true or
14 false. I would be surprised if it is that.
15
16 MS. STEEL: Can I just ask a question: I asked you something
17 about other groups and people making criticisms of
18 McDonald's over various issues the other day. You were
19 aware that McDonald's had also been criticised for the use
20 of additives prior to London Greenpeace making criticisms?
21 A. I think additives in food have been a subject for
22 discussion in many arenas for a long time. The very
23 purpose of having an E number is, when an additive is used,
24 to tell someone in advance what is there. If they choose to
25 go looking for what it is, it is a positive purpose for an
26 E number not a negative one.
27
28 MR. MORRIS: The next paragraph after the one I quoted in that
29 column:
30
31 "McDonald's produce a nutrition leaflet for customers but
32 they do not list their products ingredients. I was told
33 'if it became compulsory, we would be happy to do it, but
34 it would take a lot of expense so prefer to wait for
35 legislation'".
36
37 Was that the basic position at that time? This was in
38 1998?
39 A. I believe we did have ingredients listed. You would
40 have to show me the leaflet but I thought we had always
41 listed what is there.
42
43 Q. I think the first time was 1989 in the UK.
44 A. Well, you will have to show me because I do not recall.
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The only point which can be validly put to
47 you relation to this, because we have had evidence on all
48 those topics, is whether at or about this time around 1988
49 you were not putting in complete nutritional details
50 because of the cost and, therefore, your attitude was not
51 to put them in until legislation forced you to do so. That
52 is what has been put. Do you remember that being the state
53 of the Corporation's mind?
54 A. I do not remember it being cost. Cost has not stopped
55 us from doing very many things. I do not know why someone
56 would have said it but I am really just not sure. There
57 may have been some financial reason, maybe a department did
58 not have the budget in a given year, I do not know.
59 Certainly if it was something demanded by customers
60 necessary on a wide front, we would have done it.
