Day 094 - 01 Mar 95 - Page 30
1 after 1992 when this other incident happened, at what stage
2 of the product was the testing done? Was it on the meat as
3 it arrived at the process plant?
4 A. No, it is made on the ground beef that is going to be
5 made into beef patties.
6
7 Q. So you are the International Meat Quality Manager, why was
8 not that testing done in the UK when it was done in the US
9 to prevent the outbreak that happened in Preston in 1991?
10 A. We did some, we continued to do testing in the
11 international markets. We have not found it. Many times
12 in the countries, the problems that we have, there is no
13 laboratories that can make the tests. It is a fairly
14 complicated testing procedure. Today, up to this day, it
15 is not a very accurate procedure. It is not a very
16 reliable procedure. But it has been extremely difficult to
17 prevent this bacteria from doing anything to control it,
18 to test it for.
19
20 Q. If meat is properly cooked, then it should kill the
21 bacteria present, should it not?
22 A. We have done a number of studies on cooking for
23 E.coli. It might or might not be the case that, we are
24 finding we doing a lot of heat resistant studies that makes
25 it very complicated, especially we do not know a lot about
26 this bacteria.
27
28 Q. So E.coli -----
29
30 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We have had evidence so far which so far has
31 been unchallenged that E.coli is not particularly heat
32 resistant. Do you accept that or not?
33 A. No, it is heat resistant -- no, sorry, it is destroyed
34 by heat.
35
36 Q. Yes, but you do not have to burn your burgers in order to
37 destroy E.coli?
38 A. That is correct.
39
40 MR. MORRIS: Both these official reports into Preston -- did you
41 read the official report into the Preston incident?
42 A. No, I did not.
43
44 Q. Do you not think that your department should be analysing
45 these official statutory investigations into outbreaks
46 that, you know, happen to McDonald's customers?
47 A. Yes, we do. What happens is that Mr. Paul Simmons at
48 the time, when I was not in the company in 1991, Mr. Paul
49 Simmons was responsible for Europe. He is the one who is
50 well aware and was involved in this case. We are a very
51 decentralised company. We relied on our partners here in
52 the United Kingdom that are well aware of what happened.
53 We relied also on our suppliers. So I am not only the one
54 who needs to read this.
55
56 Q. But your department, therefore, would be aware, if
57 Mr. Simmons is aware he would have told you, presumably,
58 that the under-cooking of burgers was considered to be the
59 cause?
60 A. We do not know to this date if it was under-cooking.
