Day 021 - 29 Jul 94 - Page 45
1 Q. A normal caterer, for example, you know a restaurant or
something like that would not be able to provide very
2 specific information, would they---
A. That is right.
3
Q. -- because they have a far more varied menu?
4 A. You are dead right, so in that sense McDonald's are
ahead of the game, are they not?
5
Q. So McDonald's are in a position where they can provide
6 detailed nutritional information? They do come under the
category of a retail outlet and they could provide that
7 information in the form of a prominent display?
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What is being put to you is, if you are
getting your food on a plate, ready cooked and ready to
9 eat, it is difficult to see how could you have any kind of
label on it. If you buy it in the supermarket,
10 pre-packed, it is very easy to see ---
A. Yes.
11
Q. If you produce it in a clam shell, or something of that
12 kind, again it is easy to see how you could, if you
wanted, have information on the clam shell. Let us put
13 cups on one side because they might contain a variety of
drinks, and we have the confusion and mistake point. But
14 if you have a particular clam shell for a particular kind
of burger, it is being put to you: "Why not have the
15 nutritional information on that? Is that not consistent
with what you are saying here?"
16 A. Yes.
17 Q. What do you say about that?
A. Well, first of all, I did not actually say that. This
18 is a quote which is taken from a government report.
19 MS. STEEL: But you thought it was particularly pertinent, did
you not?
20 A. I thought the whole issue on nutritional labelling was
particularly pertinent at that particular time. What you
21 have to recognise is that over the years there has
actually been substantial progress in this area and, in my
22 view, I think it was around about this time that
McDonald's decided to produce the leaflet with the
23 nutritional information, which gives a comprehensive list
of the nutritional composition of the different products
24 that are there.
25 Now, in my view, this is perfectly adequate and perfectly
reasonable. Now, there may well be a case for going on
26 and putting it on the labels but, in my view, the
important thing is that the information is already
27 available, and that McDonald's are one of the first, if
not the first company in the food service business who
28 have done that, and I think they deserve credit for that.
29 Q. I will not go any further because I think we are just
going around in circles probably.
30
MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. I am going to put that at the back of
