Day 294 - 05 Nov 96 - Page 15


     
     1        magnifying the risk, the problem, the contamination.
     2
     3        Regarding the production of hamburgers, he criticised the
     4        results of bulking and blending meat used in beefburger
     5        production, which "is such to maximise risk".  He ended
     6        that campylobacter organisms are widely present in both
     7        chicken and red meat and can cause disease even in small
     8        quantities unless eliminated by sufficient core
     9        temperatures in cooking.  Of course, we have heard from
    10        the...  I can't remember the name of the committee now.
    11        The committee that reported to the government about the
    12        E.Coli, about how there were very serious concerns now
    13        about the risks of E.Coli and the need to cook beef
    14        especially to sufficient core temperatures for a sufficient
    15        time, which were greater than McDonald's own
    16        specifications, which were not achieving the minimum
    17        recommendations.
    18
    19        In Mr. North's opinion the cooking system in McDonald's
    20        stores have "no defence in depth" and have to be maintained
    21        at all times "to overcome defects in an inherently
    22        unhygienic and fragile business".  He cited the serious
    23        outbreak of E.Coli food poisoning at McDonald's Preston
    24        stores in 1991 as an example of weaknesses in the company's
    25        systems.  Hence, effectively, proving the fragility.
    26        Really, it is an example that proves the whole case,
    27        because the contamination was obviously present in the live
    28        animal through to the production process and even as far as
    29        cooking, and the fragility in the store resulted in serious
    30        illness, fortunately not death.  But the potential is
    31        death, as we have heard, because of the Jack in the box
    32        incident in the USA.
    33
    34        He noted that the defence evidence from ex-employees of
    35        McDonald's was evidence of widespread staff inexperience,
    36        pressure of work and equipment problems, and concluded,
    37        "The McDonald's chain in the UK continues to regard
    38        adherence to hygiene codes as more of a marketing tool than
    39        an issue of public safety."
    40
    41        Finally, Mr. North explained that pesticide residues are an
    42        additional concern.  In particular, organophosphorus
    43        compounds, OPs, which he had studied specifically, made a
    44        point of researching that, because they attack human
    45        nervous systems and are undesirable in any quantities and
    46        they are compounded...  He explained how they are
    47        compounded in the body, build up.  This is the point in the
    48        fact sheet, the point about building up in the animals'
    49        tissues and therefore can further damage the health of the
    50        people on a meat based diet.  So that people on a diet
    51        involving substantial amounts of beef eating will not only
    52        get some damage from any pesticide residues in the
    53        McDonald's burger but that will be compounded from other
    54        sources, therefore it is a risk.
    55
    56        He explained how OPs have been used as part of the
    57        widespread compulsory cattle pest treatment programmes and
    58        how official figures cite 40 percent of cows' milk samples
    59        testing positive for OP residues, hence showing that there
    60        is even official recognition of the transfer of the

Prev Next Index