Day 012 - 18 Jul 94 - Page 13
1
Q. "In addition to these free materials, I strongly encourage
2 you to order a quantity of our 'Food Exchange List for
McDonald's Restaurants' cards, the 'Calorie, Sodium and
3 Cholersterol Content' card, and the 'Nutritional Analysis
of Food Served at McDonald's Restaurants'. (Copies of
4 each of these and an order form are enclosed)." If the
franchisee, the licensee or the restaurant manager did not
5 have copies of these documents in his restaurant, or his
restaurants, how would the member of the public get this
6 information?
A. Well, let me just say that on the national
7 introduction, the corporation, in order to avoid not
having a situation where there was none available,
8 provided a number of copies to every restaurant in the
system, but if there was nothing available in that
9 unlikely situation, they would get the 'phone number from
posted material or a piece of paper from the store manager
10 and call us in Oakbrook which, although, there was not an
800 number our policy is to accept reverse/collect
11 telephone calls.
12 Q. We see this somewhat expanded in the next paragraph.
"These materials, as well as additional copies of the
13 ingredient brochure, should be ordered by all stores
(especially in those states currently considering
14 ingredient labeling legislation, or in areas getting a lot
of media coverage on this issue". Mr. Horwitz, were there
15 states or perhaps all states, you tell us in which, where
there was no, or no effective, agreed labelling
16 legislation in place at this time?
A. The question is were there states in which ----
17
Q. Were there states in the United States which did not have
18 effective labelling legislation in place at this time?
A. Our focus at McDonald's at that time in terms of
19 labelling were the labelling requirements of the Federal
Government which we believed pre-empted any of the efforts
20 of the state bodies, and it was our position at that time
that that was what controlled, and that there were no
21 state regulations and rules which, effectively, could
compel us to label.
22
Q. Then the parenthesis goes on: " --- or in areas getting a
23 lot of media coverage on this issue). Such voluntary
action on our part hsould help blunt the growing intrest
24 of state and federal lawmakers for incredient labeling
legislation. (Also ... We would much rather provide this
25 information voluntarily, than be legislated into taking
this- or any other more severe/costly action- at a later
26 date.)" Was that a part at least of McDonald's thinking
at that time?
27 A. Yes, it was.
28 Q. Do you know whether that press announcement was made as
predicted in this document on the following Monday, July
29 7th?
A. Yes, it was.
30
Q. Then please turn to tab 11, page 188, where we see a
