Day 040 - 21 Oct 94 - Page 43

     
     1   Q.   For all groups, is it?
     2        A.  Well, you have the document open in front of you.
     3
     4   Q.   All I am saying is that if this document is going to be
     5        referred to I would like it to be read carefully.  Did you
     6        believe that that document backed up many of the points you
     7        have made?
     8        A.  Well, Mr. Rampton pointed out it was not a document
     9        that I discussed in particular detail.  Were I to do so
    10        I might have made several over comments over and above
    11        those I have already made in my written discussion.
    12
    13   MR. MORRIS:  There is one question from Helen.
    14
    15   MS. STEEL:  I do not know whether actually it is that necessary
    16        now, but I might as well do it anyway.  When Mr. Rampton
    17        asked you about the food industry carrying out experiments
    18        to show shoppers prefer colourful products?
    19        A.  Yes.
    20
    Q.   It does seem to be an implication that shoppers preferred
    22        additives in that?
    23        A.  Rather than foods, you mean, rather than ingredients,
    24        food ingredients giving the colour?
    25
    26   Q.   Right, yes.
    27        A.  Is that the implication?  Yes, I mean, you can have a
    28        product that has the flavour and colour purporting to be
    29        that, say, of a raspberry but have no raspberries in it. It
    30        seemed to me highly selective reporting in this document,
    31        because the food industry, particularly the large retail
    32        chains, have done a great deal of research which led them
    33        to the opposite conclusion, namely, that consumers are
    34        happy to have less brightly coloured foods where they
    35        understand why those foods are less brightly coloured;
    36        particularly, if they are flavoured with ingredients such
    37        as real fruit rather than imitation food flavour.
    38
    39   Q.   There was just one point on this that might be worth
    40        noting.  I think you have probably read Professor
         Wheelock's statement, so I will not ask everyone to get it
    42        out, but on the first page of his section about additives
    43        he mentions a survey conducted by two people at the
    44        University of Bradford which found that out of 920
    45        respondents 89 per cent agreed with the statement: "There
    46        are too many additives in food".  87 per cent agreed with
    47        the statement: "Additives in food can be dangerous".  Do
    48        you think that that is a fairly accurate reflection of
    49        concern about food additives?
    50        A.  I am familiar with that University of Bradford's study 
    51        and others of its kind.  The results from the Bradford 
    52        study are consistent with those of other studies conducted 
    53        at the same time.
    54
    55   Q.   That is that there is widespread concern about the use of
    56        food additives?
    57        A.  Most certainly, yes.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Thank you, Dr. Millstone.  Just one matter
    60        which I propose to mention and say nothing more about.