Day 012 - 18 Jul 94 - Page 43
1 California Attorney General calls the distribution of the
booklets ' a service'. These booklets are an integral
2 part of the overall campaign to which your letter
indiscriminately objects. Indeed, one of the key
3 functions of the advertisements is to urge consumers to
ask for the booklets. Your letter fails even to
4 acknowledge this important point, let alone to identify
the differences between the booklets and the
5 advertisements that could possibly account for the
commendation of the one and the condemnation of the
6 other.
7 2. The Company's Intent
8 Your letter asserts that McDonald's acted with an intent
to deceive consumers. That claim is totally unfounded and
9 irresponsible. Beginning last summer, in the course of
numerous conversations with your office about the
10 disclosure of ingredient and nutrition information, your
staff urged McDonald's to go beyond the booklet and
11 advertise on this subject". Is that a true statement so
far as you know, Mr. Horwitz?
12 A. That is correct. They, to some extent, were trying to
pick up the ball from New York and jump on New York's coat
13 tails; yes, that is my recollection.
14 Q. Did they say to you, "Look, why don't you go beyond the
booklet and do some advertisements on this topic"?
15 A. That is my recollection.
16 Q. "That is precisely what the company has done. The
company's purpose was to get the facts out and raise the
17 level of consumer awareness about the food McDonald's
serves, and about nutrition generally.
18
3. Your Specific Allegations
19
Out of eight separate advertisements made up of several
20 thousand words of copy, your letter questions barely a
dozen words from three separate advertisements. None of
21 these allegations has any foundation.
22 Your letter objects to the statement, appearing in only
one of the advertisements, that 'our sodium is down across
23 the menu', on the grounds that sodium is not down in all
of McDonald's products. McDonald's has not claimed that
24 it is. The company has reduced sodium in products across
the entire spectrum of its menu and that is precisely what
25 the advertisement indicates".
26 Then can we go to the footnote, which is the asterisk at
the bottom of the page: "The company has reduced the salt
27 in its pickles, which reduces sodium in most of its basic
hamburger products". How does that work?
28 A. Because pickles are on all of our hamburgers products
and others.
29
Q. If I eat a hamburger with pickles in it I get salt?
30 A. That is correct.
