Day 089 - 15 Feb 95 - Page 63


     
     1        between the two parties.
     2
     3   Q.   Can you do another journey, please, to the shelves and get
     4        ought the pink volume VIII entitled "Food Poisoning"?
     5        Please turn to tab 9.  What is this document?
     6        A.  This is the document that describes the microbiological
     7        criteria for the sampling of McDonald's product; in other
     8        words, the maximum levels above which product is not
     9        allowed to be supplied to the customer.
    10
    11   Q.   Coliforms we know about.  Are there any amongst those
    12        coliforms which are found in chicken which are known to be
    13        a hazard to human health?
    14        A.  No, there are not.
    15
    16   Q.   What is pseudomonas?
    17        A.  Pseudomonas is a food spoilage organism.
    18
    19   Q.   Does that have any implication for human health?
    20        A.  No, it does not.
    21
    22   Q.   So it is just that the food looks ghastly and it cannot be
    23        used?
    24        A.  Correct.
    25
    26   Q.   Staphylococcus aureus is an organism, we have learned,
    27        which can cause illness in humans?
    28        A.  Yes, it is.
    29
    30   Q.   The TVCs, as we know, are total viable counts?
    31        A.  That is correct.
    32
    33   Q.   Why is it that this document contains no reference to
    34        salmonella?
    35        A.  Although we carry out testing for salmonella on
    36        McDonald's products, we know that it is a raw chicken
    37        product, so that we know there is a possibility that
    38        salmonella can be found.  So our aim is to constantly
    39        improve our process to reduce the incidence of salmonella
    40        isolation, but it is not specifically written into the
    41        specification.
    42
    43   Q.   Have you read Mr. North's report of his visit to Sun
    44        Valley?
    45        A.  Yes, I have.
    46
    47   Q.   You will recall that it says that you told him that,
    48        whereas you had managed to reduce the incidence of
    49        salmonella to 1 per cent in a live bird, after processing
    50        that percentage increased to about 25 per cent.  Do you 
    51        remember saying that? 
    52        A.  Yes, I can remember that. 
    53
    54   Q.   Did you say something like that?
    55        A.  Well, I did not say it in exactly that form.
    56
    57   Q.   No, I said "something like that".  What I would like you to
    58        do, please, I am not going to prompt you, is to tell us
    59        what you did tell him and, if necessary, what it means.
    60        Can you do that for us, please?

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