Day 294 - 05 Nov 96 - Page 15
1 magnifying the risk, the problem, the contamination.
2
3 Regarding the production of hamburgers, he criticised the
4 results of bulking and blending meat used in beefburger
5 production, which "is such to maximise risk". He ended
6 that campylobacter organisms are widely present in both
7 chicken and red meat and can cause disease even in small
8 quantities unless eliminated by sufficient core
9 temperatures in cooking. Of course, we have heard from
10 the... I can't remember the name of the committee now.
11 The committee that reported to the government about the
12 E.Coli, about how there were very serious concerns now
13 about the risks of E.Coli and the need to cook beef
14 especially to sufficient core temperatures for a sufficient
15 time, which were greater than McDonald's own
16 specifications, which were not achieving the minimum
17 recommendations.
18
19 In Mr. North's opinion the cooking system in McDonald's
20 stores have "no defence in depth" and have to be maintained
21 at all times "to overcome defects in an inherently
22 unhygienic and fragile business". He cited the serious
23 outbreak of E.Coli food poisoning at McDonald's Preston
24 stores in 1991 as an example of weaknesses in the company's
25 systems. Hence, effectively, proving the fragility.
26 Really, it is an example that proves the whole case,
27 because the contamination was obviously present in the live
28 animal through to the production process and even as far as
29 cooking, and the fragility in the store resulted in serious
30 illness, fortunately not death. But the potential is
31 death, as we have heard, because of the Jack in the box
32 incident in the USA.
33
34 He noted that the defence evidence from ex-employees of
35 McDonald's was evidence of widespread staff inexperience,
36 pressure of work and equipment problems, and concluded,
37 "The McDonald's chain in the UK continues to regard
38 adherence to hygiene codes as more of a marketing tool than
39 an issue of public safety."
40
41 Finally, Mr. North explained that pesticide residues are an
42 additional concern. In particular, organophosphorus
43 compounds, OPs, which he had studied specifically, made a
44 point of researching that, because they attack human
45 nervous systems and are undesirable in any quantities and
46 they are compounded... He explained how they are
47 compounded in the body, build up. This is the point in the
48 fact sheet, the point about building up in the animals'
49 tissues and therefore can further damage the health of the
50 people on a meat based diet. So that people on a diet
51 involving substantial amounts of beef eating will not only
52 get some damage from any pesticide residues in the
53 McDonald's burger but that will be compounded from other
54 sources, therefore it is a risk.
55
56 He explained how OPs have been used as part of the
57 widespread compulsory cattle pest treatment programmes and
58 how official figures cite 40 percent of cows' milk samples
59 testing positive for OP residues, hence showing that there
60 is even official recognition of the transfer of the
