Day 002 - 29 Jun 94 - Page 38
1 of mind in terms of seeing whether it is true or false.
2 If Mr. Rampton stops heckling and laughing and things,
I can concentrate on what I am saying. I did not
3 interrupt him once in his long speech.
4 Anyway, the rest of it Mr. Rampton did not comment on
really. I do not think they need much comment now. We
5 will be calling expert witnesses; one person who used to
be the children's campaigner for the Vegetarian Society
6 who spoke in hundreds of schools to children about
advertising and burger consumption. She will be giving
7 evidence as well as Sue Dibb from the London Food
Commission who has analysed the whole purpose of
8 advertising and children and junk food and produced a
report on it.
9
The last sentence, the last paragraph of that section, is
10 quite important: "Not a lot of children are interested in
nutrition, and even if they were, all the gimmicks and
11 routines with paper hats and straws and balloons hide the
fact that the food they're seduced into eating is at best
12 mediocre, at worst poisonous - and their parents know it's
not even cheap".
13
McDonald's have said that what that says, if I understand
14 it, is that the fact sheet is saying that hamburgers are
very likely to cause food poisoning. It also goes to
15 meaning K, which is that: "McDonald's promote the
consumption of meals at McDonald's is a fun event but they
16 know full well the contents could poison the children who
eat them".
17
It says "at best mediocre" which is just standard. I
18 cannot think McDonald's could claim their cookery can be
cordon bleu. "At worst poisonous"; "at worst" means "at
19 worst". Obviously, the links between diet and ill-health
are already established, we believe. Certainly in the
20 worst case scenario we will be calling a witness, one of
the victims of the Preston food poisoning outbreak, in any
21 event, where four people were hospitalised because of
E.Coly poisoning outbreak. I would like to add that
22 E.Coly is a very serious food poisoning. It is not just
tummy ache, or something, and it is on the rise in this
23 country, and that it should be taken seriously. I am sure
McDonald's are concerned about hygiene, but it is still
24 true because of the food-poison outbreak and fair comment
because of the type of food they are serving.
25
The next point is the animal section. The animal section,
26 as has already been stated by Helen and by myself when
I said that it was the same in the leaflet which is
27 virtually identical distributed by another group in this
country for ten years is really down to a matter of
28 opinion and fair comment. I do not why we are being
prosecuted on that, frankly. If the problem was torture
29 and murder like it was when they asked the Veggies to
change the words from "slaughter" and "butchery"; yet now
30 they are saying that is neither here nor there and of
course, they would not prosecute anyone for having a valid
