Day 069 - 19 Dec 94 - Page 08

     
     1
     2   THE WITNESS:  May I add something?  The doctors are responsible
     3        by law to document cases that could be an outbreak.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I see.
     6        A.  For instance, in this case there is -- which, in our
     7        case, in this particular plant we produced over four
     8        million pounds of chicken.  If we have a meat steak, it
     9        will be more than one person, whatever that might.  In this
    10        case, it was bone, and it could be food-borne illness.  If
    11        the doctors find that there is a trend, that there is more
    12        than one people involved, which in this case should have
    13        been the case, that it is to be hundreds of people, if not
    14        thousands of people, they had to report that case to the
    15        Senate for Disease Controls; and he saw no evidence of that
    16        and said that no follow-up is needed.
    17
    18   MR. RAMPTON:  I was going to ask you that.  We will see in a
    19        minute that three of these complaints only concern
    20        McDonald's products.  Mr. Morris, as we see from the reply
         from the authorities in America, had asked, I think, for
    22        all documents relating to a two-year period.  Here, there
    23        is one in December 1993 and two from the preceding March
    24        1993.
    25
    26        If, for example, bones or bits of bone were appearing with
    27        some regularity in McChicken sandwiches or chicken
    28        McNuggets, is that something you would expect the
    29        authorities to follow up?
    30        A.  Absolutely.
    31
    32   Q.   With whom would they take it up; would they take it up with
    33        McDonald's or with Tysons, or with both?
    34        A.  With both.
    35
    36   Q.   Have you been able to speak to Tysons about this particular
    37        incident?
    38        A.  Yes, I have.
    39
    40   Q.   Did they have any contact with the health authorities in
         consequence of this?
    42        A.  Yes, they did.
    43
    44   Q.   What was the result of that?
    45        A.  That they found no irregularities and no reason to
    46        believe that they were at fault.
    47
    48   Q.   Do you know enough about the Tysons operation ---
    49        A.  Yes, I do.
    50 
    51   Q.   -- to be able to tell us how a piece of bone might have 
    52        found its way (if it did), one and a quarter inches long, 
    53        into a chicken sandwich?
    54        A.  That is very difficult.  During the process, the meat
    55        is deboned; it goes into a blender, what is called a sort
    56        of tumbler -- it depends on the process; then it goes
    57        through a grinder, and it is quarter inch grinder.  The
    58        outcome of the pieces, the pieces are no bigger than one
    59        quarter of an inch on either side.  Then it is formed.
    60        Then it is battered.  Then it goes through a fryer, just to