Day 283 - 21 Oct 96 - Page 13


     
     1        it or its subsidiaries, and more generally by increasing
     2        the worldwide demand for hamburgers, bears some
     3        responsibility for the situation that has developed over a
     4        number of years where rainforests have been destroyed and
     5        small-scale farmers in those areas have been forced to
     6        leave their land.
     7
     8        Further, that by increasing and satisfying the demand for
     9        food such as hamburgers in the developed world, the first
    10        and second plaintiffs, McDonald's, have contributed to a
    11        situation whereby third world countries are exporting crops
    12        to the developed world, in some cases as animal feed, when
    13        there are many people within those countries who are
    14        starving and undernourished.
    15
    16        Further, that such practices contribute to the inequality
    17        economically between the developed world and the third
    18        world.  That is point A.
    19
    20        B:  That the huge scale and nature of the first and second
    21        plaintiffs' business inevitably involves them in purchasing
    22        many tons of paper, most of which is not recycled, and
    23        which therefore contributes to the destruction of trees and
    24        forests.
    25
    26        Further, that for many years the first and second plaintiff
    27        used materials for food packaging which were harmful to the
    28        environment.  The first and second plaintiffs continue to
    29        use packaging which is harmful to the environment.
    30
    31        C --
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just let me find each one as you read it.
    34
    35   MR. MORRIS:   Sorry.  They should all appear together.
    36
    37   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I am just looking at them in the abstract.
    38
    39   MR. MORRIS:   Right.  C is nutrition.  I think they tend to
    40        appear towards the end, for some reason.
    41
    42   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    43
    44   MR. MORRIS:   That the first and second plaintiffs do not inform
    45        the public of all the facts when they claim that the food
    46        they sell is nutritious.  Particularly, that the food they
    47        sell is high in content such as fat which can be linked to
    48        various diseases, especially heart disease and/or cancer.
    49
    50        The next one is D.  I think it was in the nutrition section 
    51        as well.  That McDonald's sell food which         is 
    52         "synthetic" in that it is prepared and cooked in a way 
    53        that is almost mechanical.  Hamburgers and chips are
    54        generally uniform in size and content and the cooking
    55        techniques are designed to ensure that the food sold is the
    56        same the world over.
    57
    58        Further, that overall the food is not nutritious, nor is it
    59        healthy, particularly since it lacks in bulk and requires
    60        very little chewing.

Prev Next Index