Day 100 - 09 Mar 95 - Page 33

     
     1   Q.   So memos have gone out about beef as well.
     2        A.  Yes, memos go out all of the time.  It is very
     3        important that we keep reinforcing the message as we get
     4        new restaurant managers and people have been in the
     5        business for a while.  It is very important to keep
     6        reinforcing the issues.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I have forgotten what date the
     9        Jack-in-the-box matter was.  Can someone help me?
    10        A.  I am not sure.
    11
    12   Q.   Was it since Preston?
    13        A.  Yes, I would say probably a couple of years ago.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I need not be told now -- at some stage.
    16
    17   MR. MORRIS:  I will just check the details.
    18
    19   MS. STEEL:  So following the Jack-in-the-box incident, you,
    20        McDonald's, circulated reminders, information, to store
         managers or what?
    22        A.  It was not a direct result of that.  I would say after
    23        the Jack-in-the-box incident there was a lot of (and
    24        rightly so) a lot of attention paid by McDonald's to the
    25        potential hazards on the beef products.
    26
    27   Q.   What was that attention then?
    28        A.  Well, it took a number of forms.  I was personally
    29        involved in a seminar that toured the country and was given
    30        to all senior operations people, which was product
    31        integrity across the board, which was focused on beef but
    32        covered chicken and other products, and we again took that
    33        to Ireland as well to the McDonald's community in Ireland.
    34
    35        There were a number of -- there were several publications
    36        that would have gone out to managers to bring to their
    37        attention again the potential hazards.  I think it had been
    38        introduced into a number of training courses that they have
    39        in the training department.  They have basic hygiene
    40        courses, they have intermediate hygiene courses and they
         have advanced hygiene courses.  These are all for
    42        restaurant people.
    43
    44        Although these courses are actually recognised by the
    45        Institute of Environmental Health, we do bring into it the
    46        McDonald's perspective so that the store managers or the
    47        training managers, or whoever it is, can relate it directly
    48        back to their working life in McDonald's.
    49
    50   Q.   What were the potential hazards in relation to McDonald's 
    51        that you were relating to these managers? 
    52        A.  Well, if you do not cook the beef properly, there is a 
    53        possibility of food poisoning.
    54
    55   Q.   So, that was basically all you were talking about, was it,
    56        the cooking times?
    57        A.  The message at the end of the day was the one sure
    58        control we have in the restaurant over food safety is to
    59        make sure we cook the product properly.
    60