Day 297 - 08 Nov 96 - Page 34


     
     1        Despite US dietary guidelines produced in 1991, McDonald's
     2        advertising is vague and nonspecific.  That was day 16,
     3        page 25.  That the advertising said nothing about sodium
     4        and high blood pressure.  That was day 16, page 26.
     5
     6        During cross-examination of Professor Wheelock, he stated
     7        that his function was to give general advice on the current
     8        nutritional thinking and on the implications that this
     9        would have on the composition of McDonald's products.  He
    10        said that McDonald's had developed a corporate healthy
    11        eating policy which accepted the targets contained in the
    12        grey book.  That was day 21, page 8.
    13
    14        He agreed that people giving recommendations should give
    15        the full facts and consequences so that other people could
    16        make an informed choice.  Day 21, page 32.  Obviously, we
    17        would argue that that was one of the functions of the fact
    18        sheet; that it is giving people information about the links
    19        between diet and ill-health so they can choose whether or
    20        not they want to take the risks.
    21
    22        Professor Wheelock believed that approximately 180,000
    23        people died annually from heart disease.  He described this
    24        as a major public health problem, and he agreed that
    25        everybody should be doing as much as they could to cut the
    26        number of deaths from heart disease.  That was day 21, page
    27        34.  Obviously, that is completely contrary to what
    28        McDonald's are doing by promoting high fat, high sodium,
    29        low fibre food products, encouraging people to eat more of
    30        them, and also by promoting them as though they were
    31        nutritious.
    32
    33        Professor Wheelock agreed that sugar and salt in food can
    34        make it more pleasurable for people to eat, so that is
    35        another thing McDonald's are doing to encourage people to
    36        eat more of their food, keeping up the sugar and salt
    37        content.   That was on day 21, page 36.
    38
    39        He admitted that in order to remove risks between diet and
    40        disease the range of food that McDonald's produce would be
    41        restricted, and he also admitted that there might be some
    42        compromise on safety aspects because of the costs.  That
    43        was day 21, page 38.
    44
    45        Despite the fact that he had earlier said that the 180,000
    46        deaths from heart disease every year were a major public
    47        health problem and that everybody should be doing as much
    48        as they could to cut the number of deaths, he had not
    49        advised McDonald's to print nutritional information on
    50        their packaging, stating that it was available in their
    51        booklets.  That was on day 21, page 41.
    52
    53        Obviously, you will remember that we argued that not all
    54        the customers are going to pick up the nutritional
    55        information booklets, and that is even when they are
    56        available, because there has been....  Well, as I gave in
    57        evidence, that quite frequently if you go into a McDonald's
    58        store there are not any actual nutritional information
    59        leaflets available.  But, in any event, it should be
    60        printed on the packaging, because that is what every

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