Day 094 - 01 Mar 95 - Page 13
1 than the US DA now?
2 A. No, not at this point. There is still a lot of
3 inspectors in the plants.
4
5 Q. But less than there used to be?
6 A. Less than there used to be, yes. I do not know the
7 exact figures now, but I would assume that, yes.
8
9 Q. In the USA the incidence of food poisoning caused by
10 Salmonella and Campylobacter, there has been a great
11 increase in the number of incidents?
12 A. No, that is not the case. When we talk about the
13 incidence of Salmonellosis, the numbers would indicate that
14 there has been an increase, but what happens is that there
15 has been increased detection levels now. There is better
16 technology, there is better reporting back to the Centres
17 for Disease Control. While the numbers may look higher,
18 that does not mean that the incidence has increased.
19
20 Q. Do your suppliers test for Campylobacter bacteria?
21 A. It is not required. They might test for it. They test
22 for Campylobacter and other bacteria as random samples to
23 see where they are at, but yes.
24
25 Q. That is a bacteria that is even more common than
26 Salmonella, is it not?
27 A. There are conflicting reports which one is more
28 common. There are wide variation within the United States
29 in climate, in conditions. It is difficult to make an
30 assumption.
31
32 Q. Do you know what the rates are for Campylobacter at the
33 Tyson and Equity plants?
34 A. The rate?
35
36 Q. Yes.
37 A. No, no.
38
39 Q. McDonald's has not made enquiries about that with those
40 suppliers?
41 A. No, we do not. We use -- we could not test, nobody can
42 test, any possible harmful bacteria. What we do is we take
43 what is called indicator organisms such as Salmonella that
44 will give you an indication of the condition and quality of
45 the micro flora present. There is no need to test for
46 every single harmful bacteria there is.
47
48 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is there a figure for Campylobacter which is
49 equivalent to the three to 22 per cent for Salmonella?
50 A. Yes, there is a Campylobacter Jejuni which is very
51 close to Salmonella in their incidence.
52
53 Q. How do you spell the second word after Campylobacter?
54 A. J-E-J-U-N-I.
55
56 Q. But what is the equivalent figure to the three to 22 per
57 cent for that?
58 A. It would be probably about the same. It will change
59 depending on the environment.
60
