Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 76

     
     1        sell.  So, it may be that one has to do more than looking
     2        at the way that your product is advertised.
     3
     4        But I would like to see companies looking at ways in which
     5        they could encourage us all to eat, change our diets
     6        towards a more healthy diet, not just in the way of, not
     7        undermining healthy nutrition, but wherever possible in
     8        seeking to positively promote good nutrition.  This is
     9        something that -- for caterers, I know that there is a
    10        particular working party that has been set up to look at
    11        what fast-food companies can do to support the Health of
    12        the Nation.  I am afraid I do not know the full details of
    13        that working party, but I am sure that it will be (if it
    14        has not already done so) making some specific
    15        recommendations.
    16
    17        It is not just about the product; it is about the
    18        information that people have as well; the way that products
    19        are labelled about ways in which caterers might be able to
    20        help people choose healthier, healthy balanced products
         whilst they are in the restaurant.  Such things, I believe,
    22        as menu labelling to give an indication of which products
    23        might be more suitable for that has, I believe, been one of
    24        the suggestions that has been put forward.  I would hope
    25        (and sincerely do hope) that the caterers are taking that
    26        on board.
    27
    28   Q.   In terms of the product which McDonald's choose to promote
    29        in their advertising, what would you expect to see, if at
    30        all, in changes in line with the Health of the Nation
    31        initiative which they claim to back?
    32        A.  Well, I think it goes back to -- one must look at the
    33        products and advertising comes after that.  But, I mean,
    34        one of the things I think I mentioned earlier on, that
    35        looking at the way that Happy Meals, for example, were
    36        promoted (and this appears to me to be the major way in
    37        which McDonald's food is promoted to children) but actually
    38        the Happy Meals excluded children from making a more
    39        healthful choice of choosing orange juice or milk.  They
    40        were specifically excluded from the Happy Meal and, of
         course, the Happy Meal came with the fun things, the toys
    42        and the games.
    43
    44        I would suggest that one thing that McDonald's might do --
    45        I do not know whether it has changed its policy, I am
    46        afraid I cannot comment on what McDonald's might have done
    47        or might not have done, I do not know about -- that was one
    48        thing that seemed very obvious to me, was to make those
    49        kinds of choices more attractive and more desirable.  There
    50        are various ways in which one can do that; advertising can 
    51        help make food choices more attractive or desirable. 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  No further questions, thank you.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you have any questions in re-examination,
    56        Ms. Steel?
    57
    58   MS. STEEL:  No.
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Thank you very much.