Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 75
1 your own woman, as it were, one would expect fewer people
2 to agree with that question than was actually the truth; is
3 that right?
4 A. I think that is a conclusion that could be drawn, yes.
5
6 Q. So if you were right about that, if anything, the true
7 figures would have more than 39 per cent of people actually
8 being influenced by advertised foods which they would not
9 otherwise buy?
10 A. Yes, I would agree with that.
11
12 MR. MORRIS: Can I just ask you when you said just about an hour
13 ago that parents often deny themselves to the benefit of
14 their children's diet, is that your understanding? What is
15 your understanding of parents' concern for their children's
16 diet?
17 A. In that particular context that I was talking about ---
18
19 Q. Yes.
20 A. -- that -- do you want me to talk about the -----
21
22 Q. Just explain why you said that and what the conclusion,
23 what is the significance of it?
24 A. Yes, I was referring to evidence that shows that
25 mothers will put their children's nutrition above their own
26 nutrition and health. What this shows is that mothers are
27 certainly not in any way cavalier -- far from it. It is an
28 uppermost part, I believe, of being a mother, except in
29 extremely rare circumstances, is to provide for your
30 children. Providing for your children, providing them with
31 -- adequately providing for them, is something that
32 mothers will put above their own well-being and health in
33 circumstances where they have to make a choice.
34
35 Q. Finally, McDonald's Restaurants Limited in this country
36 have claimed to be backing the Health of the Nation
37 initiative. If that claim was to be true, what would you
38 expect a company such as McDonald's to actually do in the
39 light of that Health of the Nation initiative?
40 A. Well, the Health of the Nation does make various
41 recommendations towards those people who are providing
42 food. One of those is to carry out a recommendation that
43 they look at their products and to see whether they can
44 provide a more healthful range of products. For example,
45 carrying out a fat audit to see whether they can reduce the
46 amount of fat in their products; to really look at what
47 kinds of foods they are manufacturing or providing and
48 selling, to see whether there are changes that could be
49 made more in line with meeting the targets of the Health of
50 the Nation.
51
52 I would hope that any company who was taking on board the
53 Health of the Nation would see this as something that
54 involved the whole company; something that is not just in
55 the way that the products are formulated, but also in the
56 way that they are marketed as well. There are
57 recommendations within the Health of the Nation that cover
58 that as well. So, that may relate to -- obviously, the
59 advertising of the products relates or the promotion of the
60 products generally relates to what products you have to
