Day 099 - 08 Mar 95 - Page 76
1 A. It is the total count.
2
3 Q. Colony count.
4 A. Even if salmonella is present in the meat, we know
5 definitely that it will be present in some of the chicken
6 we receive into our restaurant, but we have to fully cook
7 that product. That is the only sure way of guaranteeing
8 that the product is totally safe. So, these are
9 guidelines. These are what you would expect to find in the
10 industry in meat. So you would not really expect to find
11 them saying here any salmonella. If you took five samples
12 you would not expect to find any salmonella. That is the
13 industry standard. That is what you would expect. This is
14 not law. This is not what you would have to meet to send
15 out a product. It is a standard.
16
17 MR. MORRIS: But in any event, according to Mr. Walker and what
18 you have just said as well, the total viable count is not a
19 positive release issue. In other words, if it is over the
20 total viable count what happens is there some contact with
21 the supplier who supplied McKey's to say that was
22 unacceptable, that is the sanction, yes?
23 A. That is on their tests on the raw material, but not on
24 their tests on our finished product.
25
26 Q. Mr. Walker said that basically once it has been made into
27 patties the only positive release sanction is for E.coli,
28 but in your explanation you are not concerned about the
29 E.coli as a separate specific finding?
30 A. The E.coli was not written into the original meat
31 specification; it is something that has happened since
32 then. In discussion between McDonald's and McKey's we have
33 asked for that additional check to be put in.
34
35 Q. So the E.coli is on positive release results?
36 A. Yes, that is correct.
37
38 Q. That is the only positive release sanction from a finished
39 product according to Mr. Walker?
40 A. As positive release goes, yes, that is true.
41
42 Q. All other products in his evidence he said will go through,
43 apart from if it is positive for E.coli, that is how you
44 understand it?
45 A. We would be informed if the total count exceeded our
46 specification because those results would come off prior to
47 the E.coli results. So, we would be made aware that the
48 product they had exceeded our specification. This is just
49 a McDonald's specification. I think we are getting a bit
50 cloudy. It is something we asked our product to be.
51
52 Q. You would be informed about it.
53 A. We ask a number of things of our products. He would
54 inform us to say, "Look, we have this product, it is a
55 little bit outside your specification." If that were the
56 case then a decision would be taken whether to let it go or
57 not. Positive release, they would not. If they found the
58 E.coli 0157 in their product, they would not even bother
59 picking up the phone straightaway. The stuff would be
60 disposed of.
