Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 25


     
     1   MS. STEEL:   31 percent of people questioned.  I think they were
     2        leaving the store, from what I can remember, at lunchtime.
     3        As they were coming out of the store, they were questioned
     4        about how often they ate fast food.
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
     7
     8   MS. STEEL:   And that 9 percent of the total sample ate burgers
     9        every day.  I don't know if a figure was given for fries.
    10        Obviously, Dr. Lobstein concluded that there were sections
    11        of the population who were eating a very unbalanced diet.
    12        And he also referred to other surveys, including the
    13        surveys on school children and he was particularly
    14        concerned as a result of that by the expansion of
    15        McDonald's promotions into schools and hospitals.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I will rise now and we will come back at two
    18        o'clock.
    19
    20                        (Luncheon Adjournment)
    21
    22   MR. MORRIS:   I wanted to make a few points that came up this
    23        morning, and then Ms. Steel is going to continue.
    24
    25        In terms of relevant meanings that are contested in this
    26        case, then, there is the press release that is the subject
    27        of the counterclaim where McDonald's have said that the
    28        leaflet states that McDonald's produces food which is
    29        unhealthy, and they have basically said that that is a
    30        lie.  So McDonald's has to prove that their food is not
    31        unhealthy, we would say, and that we knew that -- should it
    32        be found out, of course, that we even ever distributed the
    33        London Greenpeace fact sheet.
    34
    35        Then they tried to defend their nutritional responsibility
    36        on the same page by basically saying that they are
    37        developing new products, though how that is relevant I
    38        don't know.  That does relate to the second thing I was
    39        going to bring up, which is the subject of the confusion
    40        McDonald's have over what healthy means and what unhealthy
    41        means.  They have a completely diametrically opposed
    42        logical confusion, or illogical conclusion, where on one
    43        hand they are saying that no foods are healthier than other
    44        foods -- they are all just foods and what matters is diet
    45        -- but I think all their company witnesses on this issue
    46        -- not the experts so much, but yes...  including, for
    47        example, Professor Wheelock -- have all stated how
    48        McDonald's is taking note of people's health concerns when
    49        introducing new products, and we have heard about salad and
    50        orange juice and low fat skimmed milk and bits and pieces -
    51        McLean burger.
    52
    53        As we have heard Ed Rensi say on that video, that it is a
    54        kind of sop to nutritionists to keep the McLean low fat
    55        burger, because what they are saying is that those products
    56        are healthier than the typical products associated with
    57        McDonald's food, which of course are the products that we
    58        are concerned about so far as we are concerned.  We are
    59        concerned about the products that are specified in the fact
    60        sheet, the burgers, fries, Colas and milkshakes

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