Day 037 - 14 Oct 94 - Page 54
1 Q. Would it be wrong for me to describe it as a meal because
2 I have a sandwich rather than a soup and a main course?
3 Would it be wrong to call it a meal?
4 A. Personally, I would suspect that -- no, I would not
5 call that a meal. I would call it a snack, but the
6 important point I am trying to use, to bring out here, is
7 the way that McDonald's are using their marketing budget
8 to define precisely what they mean and, obviously, if
9 their advertising is successful, what increasing numbers
10 of the British public will come to mean by the term "meal"
11 consisting of hamburger, french fries and a drink. This
12 is not helpful in terms of health promotion.
13
14 MR. MORRIS: Presumably, these types of meals would be
15 replacing other types of meals in their diet?
16 A. Quite. That is right. It is, you know, it is a step
17 down the wrong road. I see this as a hypocritical gesture
18 because, if McDonald's are, indeed, as keen to provide
19 health as they say in some of their publicity, then they
20 would not be doing this; they would be helping us to
21 define the concept of a healthy meal.
22
23 Q. Just a couple of further points on this particular thing.
24 If you note at the top, it says: "Free when you purchase
25 any extra value meal" which is the photograph you showed
26 us ---
27 A. Yes.
28
29 Q. -- which is the photograph you showed us before with the
30 three items ---
31 A. Yes.
32
33 Q. -- which you characterise, I believe, as unhealthy?
34 A. Yes, indeed.
35
36 Q. Items specifically or meal combinations, and this one is
37 on top of those?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. As something that is bang up to date in terms of the
41 typical meals that they are promoting, and we note they
42 actually exclude orange juice in that, although we do not
43 know the exact reason, pure orange juice, do you think
44 they are taking seriously their stated objective in that
45 pamphlet we looked at earlier on about just promoting a
46 healthy diet amongst their customers?
47 A. No, no, it is so much window dressing.
48
49 MR. MORRIS: No further questions.
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, thank you very much. I will just ask
52 Ms. Steel, Mr. Rampton, do you want to ask any questions?
53
54 MS. STEEL: No.
55
56 Cross-Examined by Mr. Rampton
57
58 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, may I preface my relatively short
59 cross-examination of this witness with this observation:
60 I know your Lordship accepts the extent to which
