Day 016 - 22 Jul 94 - Page 52


     
     1        A.  I am sure if a person is aware they may have a
              problem, or the mother of a child is aware they may have
     2        problem, then they will think this through and they will
              take steps well in advance.  I mean, if you have got that
     3        kind of condition -- again, I must emphasise, that people
              who do suffer from these kind of conditions, whether they
     4        react to an additive or to a food, in many cases they also
              have problems with normal foods, such as milk or eggs, and
     5        so they will have gone to a lot of trouble to find out
              just exactly what they can eat.  A person with that kind
     6        of history is not suddenly going to wander into a
              McDonald's and try a new product just like that -- believe
     7        you me.
 
     8   Q.   Even if, say, somebody who is fairly young who might
              think:  "I fancy a quick shake"?
     9        A.  The reality is they will know if they have that
              problem and they will take precautions accordingly.  In
    10        fact, it really is a lot easier in something like
              McDonald's because of the fact that they are standard
    11        items and the information is readily available.  Believe
              you me, it is a different problem altogether if they go
    12        into a restaurant where they cannot be sure what are the
              ingredients used from day-to-day, from week-to-week, in
    13        the products that are available.  So, in that sense, it
              would be probably a lot easier for them to go to
    14        McDonald's.
 
    15   Q.   Do people always know their hyperactivity might be
              triggered by something like this?
    16        A.  I think usually they become aware of it pretty early
              on in their lifetime.
    17
         Q.   But do you not think it would be helpful to put up a sign,
    18        just drawing certain of these additives to people's
              attention?
    19        A.  Again it falls outside my area of knowledge in
              McDonald's, but I am not aware that there have ever been
    20        problems with individuals who suffer from this kind of
              condition going into McDonald's.  As I say, I would have
    21        thought it would be relatively easy for them to find out
              in advance.
    22
         Q.   Going on to BHT, there is concern over this additive, is
    23        there not?
              A.  Not amongst the regulatory authorities, to my
    24        knowledge.
 
    25   Q.   What about in the USA?
              A.  Again, not that I am aware of, and again I know that 
    26        Professor Walker has dealt in detail with this additive 
              and, to the best of my knowledge, there are no serious 
    27        concerns about it.
 
    28   Q.   Were you aware that McDonald's has stopped using BHT in
              the United States -- they had in 1985 or 1986 anyway?
    29        A.  No, I was not.
 
    30   Q.   So you do not know why that might be?
              A.  I mean, if they were not using it, if they stopped

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