Day 055 - 25 Nov 94 - Page 44

     
     1        trying to make.  I think it was me who asked the question,
     2        so the point is not lost, for whatever I thought it to be
     3        worth at the end of the day.
     4
     5   MR. MORRIS:  I just want to quote a little bit from the London
     6        Greenpeace Fact Sheet, the subject of the action, to ask
     7        you to make any comment you wish.   Just a brief point:
     8
     9        "Advertisements portraying McDonald's as a happy,
    10        circus-like place where burgers and chips are provided for
    11        anybody at any hour of the day (and late at night), traps
    12        children into thinking they aren't 'normal' if they don't
    13        go there too.  Appetite, necessity and - above all - money,
    14        never enter the 'innocent' world of ronald mcdonald."
    15
    16        Do you have any comments about that quote?  I can read it
    17        again, if you cannot remember it.  Maybe I can hand up the
    18        actual ----
    19        A.  No, it is OK.
    20
    Q.   Do you remember the actual -----
    22        A.  Yes, I think I heard it.  Yesterday, I talked about how
    23        I considered that much of the advertising aimed at children
    24        from McDonald's does draw children in to the McDonald's
    25        world, which I think is described aptly, and that the
    26        portrayal of children, the portrayal of other characters
    27        within that setting, the words that are used about
    28        McDonald's "making your day" certainly, I think, would
    29        encourage children to see -- and, sorry, the level of
    30        advertising of the products, which I said yesterday was
    31        very high, and children are going to have a high level of
    32        awareness for these products -- McDonald's is going to be
    33        seen as part of normal life; and, to that extent, children
    34        may feel that if they do not go there, they are not
    35        experiencing part of what may be considered to be "normal
    36        life".
    37
    38   MR. MORRIS:  I will just see if we have any further questions.
    39
    40   MS. STEEL:   You have particularly talked about children,
         really.  I think, from what we have seen, you also have
    42        concerns about advertising to adults.  Is there some reason
    43        why you have particularly focused on the advertising of
    44        food products to children?
    45        A.  Yes, two reasons for that:  one is the recognition --
    46        and the ITC in its latest proposals, quite rightly,
    47        acknowledged this -- and the importance of childhood
    48        nutrition, not only for children's health, but also for
    49        health in later life; and the fact that habits laid down in
    50        children are very likely to persist into adulthood. 
    51        Therefore, if one wishes, as the Government wishes, to 
    52        improve the Health of the Nation, the most important target 
    53        group is obviously children.
    54
    55        Secondly, there is the acknowledgement that children are a
    56        special group when it comes to advertising, and that has
    57        been recognised in Codes of Practice; and the
    58        acknowledgment that special care and attention needs to be
    59        taken when it comes to advertising to children.
    60