Day 015 - 21 Jul 94 - Page 15

     
     1
         Q.   We will come back to salads now.  "Low fat spread offered
     2        as an alternative to butter"?
              A.  Again I cannot be sure just precisely when that one
     3        was introduced.
 
     4   Q.   Was it since you have been ---?
              A.  Yes, I think it has -- I think I should say that in my
     5        role within the company I am advising at a strategic
              level.  I get involved at a strategic level.  I am not
     6        necessarily the one who decides when it goes into the
              stores.  I am advising on the kind of changes that should
     7        be made to the products.
 
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You could be quite specific, could you?  You
              could point them at low fat spread or ---
     9        A.  Yes.
 
    10   Q.   -- fat content of cheese?
              A.  That is my role.  I am advising on the kind of changes
         that could be made.  The problem is that it can actually
              take a considerable amount of development work in order to
    12        get the change right, so that the product is acceptable.
              Now I am not involved in that part of the operation.
    13
         Q.   Whether, when, where and to what extent they make a change
    14        is not your sphere?
              A.  No, it is not.
    15
         MS. STEEL:  I do not know whether you can help us with the
    16        remaining ones then.  I mean, mineral water, do you know
              when that was introduced?
    17        A.  No, not precisely.  I can say that the changes to the
              frying oil, we changed the frying oil quite recently.
    18        That, I think, was last September.  Because that has had a
              significant effect on the saturated fat content of the
    19        french fries.
 
    20   Q.   Right.  Prior to that they were cooked in a mixture of
              beef?
         A.  Yes, basically it was a beef tallow type which was
              fairly high in saturated fat.  So the switch to this
    22        vegetable oil meant there was a substantial reduction in
              the amount of saturated fat in the french fries, although
    23        total fat would have remained the same.
 
    24   Q.   I think you have agreed that saturated fat content is
              important.  Do you know when McDonald's first started to
    25        include saturated fat in its instore pamphlets?
              A.  No, I would have to check that one out, but I believe 
    26        that somewhere in the documentation there is a booklet 
              which was produced in about 1984.  I cannot recall 
    27        directly if that has saturated fat, but it would be very
              easy to check.  It was certainly in the booklets produced
    28        from about 1989.
 
    29   Q.   Yes.
              A.  Perhaps if you could give me the reference to the
    30        McDonald's pamphlets, I might be able to find that.