Day 086 - 09 Feb 95 - Page 58


     
     1        A.  No.  I think he was involved in all of them.  I do not
     2        know the extreme intimate detail.  I just know our food
     3        safety procedures normally stand up in court.
     4
     5   Q.   That was what he told you?
     6        A.  I believe it to be fact.
     7
     8   Q.   So you felt that because he had told you that you had won
     9        all the court cases that everything was OK?
    10        A.  From that I do not assume that everything is OK with
    11        McDonald's food safety, that we are complacent and do not
    12        have to improve, but what I consider OK about it is that it
    13        is good to see when cases are brought against us that our
    14        systems are vindicated.
    15
    16   Q.   Are you aware that on 7th May 1993 once McDonald's was
    17        fined £1,000 in Southend Magistrates Court for having
    18        insanitary premises?
    19        A.  No, I am not.
    20
    21   Q.   And that this related to the discovery of raw sewage in the
    22        food preparation area on 31st December 1992?
    23        A.  No.
    24
    25   Q.   So he did not tell about that?
    26        A.  It was not food safety particularly; maybe it was not
    27        his area.
    28
    29   Q.   What, raw sewage in the food preparation area is not a
    30        matter of food safety?
    31        A.  Yes, I suppose it is from a general term.  I was
    32        thinking of the preparation of food and the training in
    33        handling of food, it is the food poisoning incidents, the
    34        distinction there was that it was not a food poisoning
    35        incident; it was obviously a food safety matter.
    36
    37   Q.   Well, an emergency prohibition notice for insanitary
    38        premises had been served.  If that had not been the case it
    39        would have quite easily become a food poisoning incident,
    40        could it not?
    41        A.  It may well have done, yes.
    42
    43   Q.   But you do not know about it?
    44        A.  No, I do not.  I was, as I have said many times,
    45        I think it was May 1993 my interest was not in food
    46        safety.  I was in a different job.
    47
    48   Q.   Is it something that you feel you ought to have known about
    49        since you have become responsible for that area?
    50        A.  Well, I would say yes, because I would be able to give 
    51        you much clearer answers in court than I am doing so far, 
    52        but until coming through the doors into here I could not 
    53        see why I needed to know these things.
    54
    55   Q.   You do not think you need to know about raw sewage in the
    56        food preparation area having the position of responsibility
    57        that you have?
    58        A.  If an incident happened now most definitely, yes.
    59
    60   Q.   But does the company not learn by its previous mistakes?

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