Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 16
1
2 Q. How frequently do you carry out these audits?
3 A. As frequently as we feel necessary.
4
5 Q. Can we have some idea of what that means?
6 A. For instance, if I feel I am comfortable that the
7 supplier is at a world class level, such as the ones we
8 have here in the UK, or the ones, give you an example of
9 the US facility, we talk later this morning about Tyson,
10 I have been at their Tyson facilities this year or, let me
11 say, in the time that I have been working with McDonald's
12 for about three and a half years, I have been at their
13 facilities probably 10 times.
14
15 Q. Is that more regular or less regular than you would visit
16 other such suppliers?
17 A. It is both. It depends, that there are suppliers that
18 have spent a lot of time. We talked yesterday about the
19 plant in Costa Rica. I spent an entire year working with
20 them, from visiting the plants, seeing their cattle,
21 working with them, bringing them into Key West(?) to see
22 our operations, to see our Corporation, to see Hamburger
23 University, looking, visiting suppliers of equipment so
24 they have an idea of what is needed. So, it is an entire
25 year that I have spent just with that particular supplier.
26
27 Q. What year was that?
28 A. This year.
29
30 Q. This year?
31 A. Yes. Actually, in the last year, so that I started, we
32 started the process last fall.
33
34 Q. Do these companies allow you to have full access to the
35 records that they have kept?
36 A. Yes, they do. It is part of the specification that we
37 have the right, not only it is part, it is written in the
38 spec. and it is part of our agreement that we have the
39 right to visit a plant with an unexpected, unannounced
40 visit, that our policy is an open book policy, where we
41 look at every single record they have, including the cost
42 of everything that they buy.
43
44 Q. They would provide you with copies of anything that you
45 particularly wanted to look at in detail or anything like
46 that?
47 A. If I requested it, indeed, they have that information,
48 yes, they will.
49
50 Q. Is that part of your specifications?
51 A. I said it before, yes, it is.
52
53 Q. What kind of inspections do you make or audits do you make
54 in terms of animal welfare?
55 A. It is such a broad question so I am going to try to
56 narrow. If a facility, for instance, it could be either
57 for the chicken, for example, I look at the condition of
58 the birds, I look at the quality of the meat. The quality
59 of the meat will tell you a lot about the way in which the
60 animals were raised, they were treated. I look at the
