Day 032 - 06 Oct 94 - Page 75
1 maybe some yoghurt and some low fat cheese, and I followed
2 that the next day by some steamed fish, matters of that
3 kind, and so on and so forth throughout the week, I could
4 in fact, of course, sit down to roast beef and Yorkshire
5 pudding on Sunday, could I not?
6 A. I would hesitate to -- I do not know your weight or
7 blood pressure.
8
9 Q. I mean a hypothetical person, not me.
10 A. I am very reluctant to answer a question of that sort
11 for the obvious reason that it does not look at trends, it
12 does not look at tendencies, it does not look at any of
13 the history or dietary patterns that are going on. You
14 are suggesting one particular dietary pattern which, to my
15 mind, is highly unusual amongst the consumers of
16 McDonald's, particularly those that we sampled in Peckham.
17
18 Q. Are you saying that your pocket in Peckham is typical of a
19 significant section of the population at large?
20 A. We believed it to be sufficiently significant to be of
21 concern, yes, and hence, indeed, the author -- that is why
22 the author went on to have a second look in Leeds.
23
24 Q. Is there some kind of assumption, or was there some kind
25 of assumption that what used to be called (are still in
26 some quarters, I gather) the working classes are not
27 sufficiently well aware of how to behave so they do not
28 know how to look after their own health; is that the sort
29 of assumption you are making?
30 A. I would not say they do not know how to behave, but I
31 would say that it is unfortunate they are eating these
32 foods to such a great extent. Many of them are well aware
33 that in their view these foods are of poor quality,
34 nutritionally.
35
36 Q. The picture you are trying to paint is of, let us say, a
37 down-trodden, over-worked single mother living somewhere
38 in Peckham whose snivelling little brat squeaks and whines
39 and says: "I want to go to McDonald's" and she has not
40 either the willpower or the wit to prevent it?
41 A. I think that would be grossly unfair on the mother to
42 describe her in that way. But I am trying to paint a
43 picture of a large number of people who find this a cheap
44 and convenient meal, and because of that they should be
45 offered something more healthy.
46
47 Q. What credit do you give to the average citizen of this
48 country for looking after his own health interests and his
49 own children?
50 A. The best that they can in the face of very difficult
51 circumstances.
52
53 Q. Such as?
54 A. Such as the promotion and encouragement to eat by the
55 food industry of certain foods, such as the foods
56 available, the pricing of those foods in their local
57 area. There are various factors that influence choice, of
58 which their own beliefs in health can only play a part,
59 and I would say the responsibility of those who provide
60 the foods. I think the supermarkets offer a good example
