Day 021 - 29 Jul 94 - Page 34

     
     1
         Q.   So people could eat a lot of it before they feel full up?
     2        A.  There is no doubt that if you have a diet which is
              high in fat, then the chances are you are going to eat
     3        more food and consume more calories.
 
     4   Q.   You said that in -- you have written papers on the subject
              of food poisoning, have you not, in the past?
     5        A.  Yes, I have; well, on food borne diseases, yes.
 
     6   Q.   Would it be fair to say that you think the situation in
              the UK in respect of this is something of a national
     7        disgrace?
              A.  That is a quote I made in 1987, I think.
     8
         Q.   Right.  At that time, how many people were dying of food
     9        poisoning?
              A.  I cannot recall the actual numbers of deaths.
    10
         Q.   Just roughly?
         A.  I think it would be of the order of hundreds.  The
              main concern, I should point out, is not so much in terms
    12        of number of deaths but in the number of cases of illness.
 
    13   Q.   How many people die of heart disease every year?
              A.  I think we had this before.
    14
         Q.   Yes.  You cannot remember?
    15        A.  I think of the order of 180,000.
 
    16   Q.   So do you think that is a national disgrace?
              A.  Well, I think it is a major public health problem,
    17        yes.
 
    18   Q.   Do you think that everybody should be doing as much as
              they can to cut the number of deaths from heart disease?
    19        A.  Yes.
 
    20   Q.   So one of the ways we could do that, could we not, is if
              we stopped promoting foods that were linked or a type of
         diet that was linked to heart disease?
              A.  Again, you see, you are confusing diets and foods and
    22        individual meals.
 
    23   Q.   What about promoting specifically high fat foods?
              A.  Look, if a food is allowed to be sold in the sense
    24        that it has not been banned because it is toxic, then in
              my view it is perfectly reasonable to promote it.
    25
         Q.   Even though it could contribute to this national disgrace 
    26        of 180,000 people? 
              A.  There is a fundamental disagreement between us in the 
    27        sense that I see a meal as making a contribution to a
              diet.  In my view, you are making a serious mistake
    28        because you are equating individual meals with total
              diets, which is quite wrong.
    29
         Q.   No, I said "make a contribution".
    30        A.  Well, OK; therefore it depends on the extent of that
              contribution.