Day 013 - 19 Jul 94 - Page 18
1
Q. But you did send, did you not, a letter on July 3rd, which
2 Helen read out, to all owner operators etc. etc., i.e. to
every store enclosing the brochure. It says: "By way of
3 background, ... as you know, the enclosed brochure
('McDonald's Food - The Facts'") etc. etc.. So, in fact,
4 if it had been genuinely available there was nothing to
stop you enclosing a hundred copies or a thousand copies
5 with each one of those letters on July 3rd, which we claim
you rushed out to pretend to be ahead of the Attorneys
6 General. I am trying to put my case because you asked me
to put my case.
7
MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I know. Let us take it step by step.
8 It is suggested that you rushed out the booklet to beat
the Attorneys General to the draw really. What do you say
9 about that, first of all?
A. I would ask for just a little bit more clarification
10 on the question; "to beat them to the draw" in connection
with ----
11
MR. MORRIS: That has already been gone over by Helen last
12 time, but the point I am making is on July 3rd 1986 when
you wrote to what you call the McDonald's family?
13 A. Yes.
14 Q. Then why were not the brochures distributed at that time
in large numbers seeing, as you say, you were planning to
15 do it months and months before anyone ever mentioned it?
A. I do not recall.
16
Q. Let us just move on. One question on a general subject:
17 Do you know when supermarket labelling of ingredients
became compulsory in America on all products?
18
MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just before we leave that, what you are
19 really saying, is it, that the plan was not to get it out
nationwide before October, but they had brought it forward
20 very quickly at or about the end of June or beginning of
July to beat the Attorneys General to the draw. Is that
21 what you are saying?
22 MR. MORRIS: Basically, yes.
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What do you say about that?
A. My recollection is that when we had the production
24 completed, we rushed to put it in. It is not a situation
where you can say: Print a million of these up very
25 quickly so we can have them next week. This is something
I run across all the time in connection with our
26 advertising. These things take a great deal of advance
notice -- just like placing magazine ads -- have to be
27 done three months in advance. Once they are done they are
done. It is not my recollection that we ran from October
28 until early August in order to beat out the Attorneys
General.
29
MR. MORRIS: Could you just tell me, do you know when
30 supermarket labelling became compulsory in America for all
ingredients?
