Day 055 - 25 Nov 94 - Page 48

     
     1
     2   Q.   The fact that they occupy offices in the same building in
     3        London is beside the point, is it?
     4        A.  I consider it to be beside the point.  I am not certain
     5        what the point is to be beside.
     6
     7   Q.   I am wondering how closely, really, one might be able to
     8        assert that The Food Commission and The National Food
     9        Alliance, at any rate in their direction, their governing
    10        mind, are really the same creature?
    11        A.  Oh, that would be a great mistake to think that.  They
    12        are two separate organisations.  They have separate
    13        offices.  They have a separate council and management,
    14        separately constituted.  I do not think it is surprising
    15        that organisations who do share some interest -- and there
    16        are other organisations in the same building -- I do not
    17        find it surprising that they might be in the same building.
    18
    19   Q.   Who is the Secretary, Director General, if you like -- or
    20        whatever the word is -- of The National Food Alliance?  Who
         runs it?
    22        A.  You want to know who the Chair is?
    23
    24   Q.   No.  I want to know who, effectively, manages it from day
    25        to day?
    26        A.  There is a management committee.  The lady who
    27        co-ordinates that is called Jeanette Longfield.
    28
    29   Q.   Do you, personally, have any day-to-day role in the running
    30        of the affairs of The National Food Alliance?
    31        A.  Not in the overall running of The National Food
    32        Alliance.  In addition to my work at The Food Commission,
    33        but quite separate from it, I am also project officer for
    34        The National Food Alliance's working party on advertising.
    35        The National Food Alliance has set up a number of working
    36        parties to look at particular areas of interest to its
    37        members.  Advertising is one of those.
    38
    39        It has also set up projects -- there is one called "Get
    40        Cooking", which is funded by the Department of Health.
         There is another one which has also received Department of
    42        Health money, looking at food and people on low incomes.
    43        There is another project which has looked at international
    44        representation on regulatory committees.
    45
    46        So there are a number of projects that the members of
    47        The National Food Alliance have decided that they wish to
    48        come together and collaborate on, in order to produce, for
    49        example, policy documents which may contain policy
    50        recommendations. 
    51 
    52        But, to repeat, I am not involved in the overall management 
    53        of The National Food Alliance.  It has its own management
    54        committee.
    55
    56   Q.   You were the convener of -- so you are described, and I do
    57        not know what it means -- the body which produced this
    58        document "Children:  Advertisers' Dream, Nutrition
    59        Nightmare?"  Is that right?
    60        A.  Yes, I am author of that report.