Day 014 - 20 Jul 94 - Page 09
1 the importance of food companies, generally taking a
responsible attitude towards the diet and health, and
2 I have to say that I was very impressed with the approach
that was being adopted by McDonald's in this country and
3 in the United States on those, in that particular area.
4 Q. May I interrupt you there: Have you studied what
McDonald's have been doing in this area in the United
5 States?
A. I have a reasonably good knowledge of the work that
6 McDonald's has done on that front in the United States.
7 Q. Have you experience of other food companies?
A. Yes, I have indeed.
8
Q. In this field?
9 A. Yes. I have talked to many companies about this over
the years and, in my view, McDonald's in this country is
10 one of the leading companies in helping to make changes
that are in line with the dietary recommendations to their
11 products. I mean, they are way ahead of many other
companies in this country.
12
Q. There are two aspects of that question; the first is
13 whether in general terms, so far as you are concerned,
McDonald's attitude in the provision of food which is
14 nutritious, healthy, call it what you like, is a
responsible one? That is the first question. What is
15 your reaction to that?
A. There was no question about it; McDonald's do take a
16 very responsible approach towards nutrition and towards
food safety.
17
Q. The second part, second feature, of the question is this:
18 The provision of information to the customer is an
important part of this field, do you think?
19 A. Well, it has to be because, at the end of the day, it
is the responsibility and it is actually the decision of
20 individuals to determine what exactly they are going to
eat. If they are to construct a healthy diet, then it is
21 absolutely essential that they know what is in the food.
You might say there are many people who are not concerned
22 about that but, on the other hand, for those people who
are worried, then they need to have the information from
23 which they can work out how much saturated fat or salt,
whatever it is, in their diet.
24
Q. We know in this country the government makes some effort
25 to provide people with advice on nutritional matters?
A. Yes. I would say there has been a complete
26 transformation in the attitude of the British government
towards diet and health in the last 15 years or so. When
27 I first came into that field there was very little
interest at all. The attitude taken from the government
28 at that time was: "It is not our job to tell people what
to eat".
29
MR. JUSTICE BELL: When was that?
30 A. This would have been the early 1980s.
