Day 101 - 10 Mar 95 - Page 12

     
     1        to or was that what they decided for themselves?
     2        A.  I personally did not set those limits, no.
     3
     4   Q.   Does McDonald's set it, I mean?
     5        A.  I would suspect that they work to those limits for the
     6        majority of their customers, if not all of them.  But
     7        certainly before they started producing anything for
     8        McDonald's, there would have been a discussion between
     9        McDonald's Quality Assurance and Sun Valley Quality
    10        Assurance as to what and what is not acceptable for their
    11        Quality Assurance programme.  That would have involved,
    12        I am sure that would have involved receiving temperatures
    13        for raw meat.
    14
    15   Q.   So McDonald's would find five degrees Centigrade
    16        acceptable?
    17        A.  Yes.
    18
    19   Q.   The specifications at McKey's are four degrees, are they
    20        not?
         A.  I actually checked this last night, because I was not
    22        quite so sure so I checked my records last night.  They
    23        work to two levels at McKey's on incoming meat.  Four
    24        degrees is the level at which further inspection is done.
    25        Seven degrees is the absolute limit at which rejection
    26        occurs.
    27
    28   Q.   On incoming meat?
    29        A.  On incoming raw meat, yes.
    30
    31   Q.   But you have not then asked McKey's to adhere to five
    32        degrees?
    33        A.  No.
    34
    35   Q.   You are happy with the up to seven degrees?
    36        A.  As an absolute limit, yes.  Obviously, there is
    37        additional checks as well.  It is not just a temperature
    38        check.  There are microbiological tests as well which is
    39        what the temperature checks are aimed at, controlling
    40        microbiological growth.  You have to, you know, put them
         into context and see what the tests are for.  You do not
    42        just take them as tests in themselves.
    43
    44   Q.   The other sheets we looked at for Sun Valley for 1990 and
    45        1991, some of them were up to six degrees Centigrade.  So,
    46        the five degrees that you have come to an agreement about
    47        is a more recent development?
    48        A.  No.  As far as I am aware, it has always been five
    49        degrees.  Those that were recorded above five would have
    50        been rejected. 
    51 
    52   Q.   That is what you are presuming, yes? 
    53        A.  Yes.
    54
    55   Q.   Can I just ask, these that say raw meat inspection?
    56        A.  Yes.
    57
    58   Q.   Is that at the point the raw meat is coming into the
    59        processing plant or is that at some other stage?
    60        A.  Yes.  These are the actual results that are done by the