Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 16
1 also being fed an unnatural diet.
2
3 He said that modern beef production has become distorted
4 from the wild nature of food to which we are
5 physiologically adapted in that modern cattle are
6 intensively reared for fast weight gain which results in
7 unnaturally high levels of fat, particularly saturated
8 fat. He gave the example that meat in modern domestic
9 cattle is in excess of 25 percent carcass fat compared to
10 two to five percent in wild animals.
11
12 We had the evidence of Dr. Neil Barnard, the president of
13 the US Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, who
14 was clearly an expert on nutrition and health. He said
15 that many of the products sold at McDonald's are high in
16 fat and cholesterol and low in fibre and certain vitamins,
17 and that as a result these products contributed to heart
18 disease, certain forms of cancer and other diseases. He
19 included in the 'other diseases' obesity, diabetes,
20 hypertension. He said that the links between diet and
21 these now epidemic diseases are established beyond any
22 reasonable doubt and that they are causal in nature.
23
24 Dr. Barnard also pointed out that in addition to the
25 problem of consuming too much fat and too little fibre in
26 the diet there is also increasing concern about the
27 carcinogenic mutagens which form on the surface of grilled
28 and fried meat. I think we saw reports about that from
29 elsewhere. His view was that McDonald's products, it is
30 quite clear, contain significantly more fat than the
31 government guidelines and health authorities recommend, and
32 that evidence had shown that fatty foods tend to be
33 habituating and increase the likelihood of continued high
34 fat intake.
35
36 Obviously, that is the minimum position, that they don't
37 even meet the government and health recommendations,
38 because obviously those recommendations are, as we have
39 heard, made with a view to taking in commercial
40 considerations and realism in terms of what the public
41 would accept, bearing in mind the influences on people's
42 diets through advertising and so on. His view was that at
43 the end of the day McDonald's food is part of the problem
44 rather than part of the solution.
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: When you get to the end of your highlight of
47 Dr. Barnard, we will take a break.
48
49 MS. STEEL: OK. Well, that is it.
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Five minutes.
52
53 (Short Adjournment)
54
55 MS. STEEL: On top of the evidence from our witnesses, who all
56 confirmed the links between diet and ill health, and that
57 the links were causal, be it promotional rather than
58 initiation, promotional development, there is also the
59 admissions made by McDonald's own witnesses.
60
