Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 34
1 has a high sodium and sugar content and in particular, for
2 example, the fizzy drinks have sugar as virtually their
3 sole so-called nutrient. That was on day 33, page 8. And
4 that generally, when you compared McDonald's food with
5 other foodstuffs, the difference in the percentage of
6 calories from fat is striking. That was on day 33, page
7 8.
8
9 Dr. Barnard also stated that virtually all animal products
10 contain zero fibre and substantial amounts of fat. For
11 example, the leanest beef is about 30 percent of fat. That
12 was day 34, page 19. Obviously, that is relevant to the
13 part in the leaflet referring to a diet high in animal
14 products, basically because of the saturated fat in
15 particular.
16
17 Moving on to the second part of the meaning, and because
18 eating McDonald's food may well make your diet high in fat,
19 sugar, animal products and salt, sodium and low in fibre,
20 vitamins and minerals, we say that that is basically a
21 sensible reminder to the members of the public, urging
22 caution and highlighting the dangers. And this also is
23 well supported by the evidence heard in this trial.
24
25 Professor Wheelock accepted that if someone was to eat
26 McDonald's food too frequently or -- and we say that is the
27 important point -- eat similar food at other restaurants
28 or, for that matter, anywhere else, that that would concern
29 him. That was day 15, page 23. We would say that in many
30 respects the number of times you eat at McDonald's assumes
31 secondary importance when this point is seen and is
32 conceded, as it has to be, by the Plaintiffs since
33 Professor Wheelock is their consultant.
34
35 But the reality is that people are not going to McDonald's
36 eating their high fat, low fibre meal and then spending the
37 rest of the week being extremely careful about their diet
38 and making sure every meal is a healthy option or
39 whatever. The reality is that for the vast majority of
40 people, the meals that they eat at McDonald's are going to
41 be typical of what they eat elsewhere; they are going to be
42 eating bars of chocolate, bags of crisps and, you know,
43 burgers and whatever else when they eat at home or when
44 they eat at other restaurants.
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, I will consider that, but do you have
47 to go that high? I mean, would it be sufficient for your
48 purposes if whether or not they eat a lot of crisps,
49 chocolate bars or burgers in the rest of the week, just
50 that they do not spend the rest of the week trying to keep
51 fat, sodium - I have to say I am less concerned with sugar
52 in the light of the evidence as it came out - down and
53 fibre up?
54
55 MS. STEEL: I mean, I am not trying to say that every single
56 meal of their waking week is going to be, you know, a bag
57 of crisps or a bar of chocolate. All I am saying is that
58 looking at it realistically -----
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You say they have a run-of-the-mill diet
