Day 125 - 12 May 95 - Page 15
1 local health departments not allow re-run to be used?
2 A. Some health department have a higher standard than
3 others and to further ensure the potentiality of
4 contamination they restrict the use of re-run. So, in
5 America, for instance, you could have a health department,
6 let us say, in the state of New York that might require
7 that re-run be tossed at the end of the day; whereas in
8 another state, for instance the state of West Virginia, it
9 might be permissible.
10
11 So, it is the responsibility, obviously, of the franchisees
12 and the Company to be conversant, be knowledgeable, of all
13 of the various laws and regulations in the various
14 municipalities and states in which we operate. So, it does
15 not necessarily mean that one state is bad, or one practice
16 is bad and the other one was good; it is just a matter of
17 tightening up procedures. The likelihood of contamination
18 from re-run that is used early in the morning, the
19 likelihood of contaminants, is very remote. But,
20 certainly, the extra few tenths of a per cent that you
21 would gain by eliminating its use is what some health
22 authorities, some officials, feel they want to have. They
23 want to have that extra degree of safety.
24
25 Q. But McDonald's itself does not feel it is important to
26 adhere to the highest health standards in this?
27 A. McDonald's wants to comply with all regulations,
28 existing regulations. As I have indicated earlier, we
29 really want to exceed in most cases what is required of
30 us. We normally score very, very high on health
31 inspections. I can tell you, from personal experience in
32 my travels around the country, that we generally score very
33 highly in the inspections that are made, and usually they
34 are unscheduled inspections that are conducted by health
35 departments. McDonald's is considered the standard of the
36 industry.
37
38 We are often complimented, we are often praised, for our
39 practices and procedures. It is often said that, you know,
40 they wished that other restaurants would observe just half
41 of the procedures that we employ. So, I would say that a
42 more fair characterisation of the way we operate is that we
43 generally set the standard. Our operating standards are
44 generally higher than the industry.
45
46 Q. But in this case you are not reaching the highest standards
47 set by some health authorities, and basically the only
48 reason for this is to save money, is it not?
49 A. Well, I think that is a narrow view to look at it.
50 I think it is important to be compliant with all existing
51 laws and regulations in the area, town, city, state that
52 you operate, that you are in compliant with all federal
53 laws. Once you are compliant with those laws, I think it
54 is perfectly permissible, within your operating right, in
55 this particular case, to use over-run if it is acceptable.
56 If you maintain that re-run in a proper manner, it is
57 refrigerated and put away and then used the very next day,
58 as we outline clearly, specifically in our manual, this is
59 no reason for concern.
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