Day 049 - 09 Nov 94 - Page 09

     
     1        in large quantities, because, as far as they were
     2        concerned, ronald mcdonald was just a pure and positive and
     3        fun character and something that was quite real to them,
     4        for the younger ones, as well.
     5
     6   MS. STEEL:  You have mentioned in your statement about some
     7        children saying that McDonald's excluded vegetarians, in
     8        their minds, because it only really sold meat.  Was that
     9        with reference to all children, or was that just ones who
    10        were already vegetarian, or what?
    11        A.  It was both.  Obviously, the children who were already
    12        vegetarian at that time did not like to go to McDonald's or
    13        would not go, because all the products -- or very little of
    14        their products were vegetarian, because they said, I think,
    15        the chips were cooked in beef fat.  I am not sure they are
    16        any more, but they certainly were at that time.
    17
    18   Q.   That was something that some of the children said?
    19        A.  Yes.  There is high awareness about McDonald's amongst
    20        those kids.
    21
    22        For those children that were considering going vegetarian,
    23        the reason that this sort of normal thing came up partly
    24        for them was because they saw it as being hypocritical to
    25        go to McDonald's once you were a vegetarian, because of
    26        what it represented.
    27
    28   Q.   Because it sold meat?
    29        A.  Yes, and because of a lot of bad publicity, I suppose.
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, did you mean that?  I thought you might
    32        mean that because McDonald's is clearly associated with
    33        selling a very large number of burgers?
    34        A.  Yes, that is right; and, therefore, was responsible for
    35        the death of many millions of animals; so, therefore, it
    36        would be hypocritical to a vegetarian to go and eat there.
    37        Yes.
    38
    39        What surprised me was that they saw that as a genuine
    40        problem, because they did not want to stop going to
         McDonald's, even if they----
    42
    43   MS. STEEL:  Even the ones that were vegetarian?
    44        A.  Even some of those that were vegetarian wanted to still
    45        be seen with their friends and go there, because that was
    46        often used as a meeting point, as well.
    47
    48   Q.   When you say used as a meeting point, what did they say?
    49        A.  They would say things like:  "Oh God, but if I go
    50        vegetarian, I won't be able to meet my friends at 
    51        McDonald's." 
    52 
    53   MS. STEEL:   In the following paragraph, you have gone on to say
    54        that pupils were encouraged to be forthright with their
    55        views, and you have said that the reasons that they gave
    56        for feeling influenced by McDonald's came down to the
    57        marketing, in particular the TV advertising.  How was that
    58        raised by them?
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Really, on what do you base that statement;