Walter Willett, M.D. at Brigham and Women's Hospital
"If you step back and look at the data, the optimum amount of red meat you eat should be zero."
Director of a study that found a close correlation between red meat consumption and colon cancer .
Neal Barnard, M.D., President of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
"The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people', you'd better live real close to a real good hospital."
American rancher who owns grazing land in the Amazon
"You buy the land out there now for the same price as a couple of bottles of beer per acre. When you've got half a million acres and 20,000 head of cattle, you can leave the lousy place and go live in Paris, Hawaii, Switzerland, or anywhere you choose."
Ralph Waldo Emerson in Fate
"You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughter-house is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity."
Ruth Harrison, author of Animal Machines
"In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last blow."
David H. Wright PhD, Emory University biologist
"An alien ecologist observing ... Earth might conclude that cattle is the dominant animal species in our biosphere."
John Robbins, author of Diet For A New America
"A reduction in beef and other meat consumption is the most potent single act you can take to halt the destruction of our environment and preserve our natural resources. Our choices do matter. What's healthiest for each of us personally is also healthiest for the life support system of our precious, but wounded planet."
Kimberley Stewart, model and daughter of Rod Stewart
"You can't eat at McDonald's any more if you want to be a successful model, because you'll get bad skin and cellulite."
General McDonald's
Morrissey, pop star
"Everything went downhill from the moment the McDonald's chain was allowed to invade England."
Ian Hislop, Editor of Private Eye
"McDonald's are notoriously litigous." - during an episode of the TV show Have I Got News for You.
Geoffrey Guiliano, former Ronald McDonald actor
"For almost two years I went against everything I ever believed in by
selling out to the McDonald's corporate juggernaut by playing Ronald McDonald
to thousands of innocent, trusting children." - from a public statement
"This show [his new television show] is my way of saying sorry for selling
out so blatantly to concerns who make their millions off the murder of countless
animals and the exploitation of children for their own ends." - from a public statement
Nutrition and ill-health
Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, USA
"As a result of their high content of fat and cholesterol, McDonald's
products contribute to heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and other
diseases. The links between high-fat diets and certain diseases are established
beyond any reasonable doubt." - from his McLibel witness statement
"McDonald's advertising has been misleading regarding its fat content." - from his McLibel witness statement
"A comparison of populations indicates that death rates
for cancers of the breast, colon, and prostate are directly proportional
to estimated dietary fat intakes" - from his McLibel witness statement
"An accurate description of the effects of meat consumption would note
its links to heart disease, cancer (particularly colon and prostate cancer),
obesity, and other health problems." - from his McLibel witness statement
Dr. William Castelli, Director of the Framingham Heart Study
"When you see the golden arches, you're probably on the road to
the pearly gates"
Jane Brophy
"Most people involved in health education know that a typical McDonald's
meal does not comply with current healthy eating recommendations and that
is why their literature states that the two golden rules for healthy eating
are 'variety' and 'moderation' - vague terms which do
not help the average person choose a health promoting diet." - from her McLibel witness statement
Geoffrey Cannon, Nutritional consultant
"The United Kingdom diet is unhealthy largely because it contains too
much fat, saturated fats, sugar & salt and is correspondingly inadequate
in bread and cereal foods (preferably wholegrain), vegetables and fruit.
lnsofar as the Defendants are making this point in their criticism of the
foods available at Mc Donalds, what they say is valid and now generally
accepted not only by the scientific community but also by government." - from his McLibel witness statement
Peter Cox, Food and Health researcher
"The plaintiffs are in the business of selling hamburgers. Had they left
it at that, they could not be reasonably criticised for 'deliberately
misleading the public as to the nutritional value of the food they sell'.
However, the plaintiffs have deliberately sought to pass their products
off as 'a very valuable part of a healthy diet'. In these health-conscious
times, this is no doubt an extremely effective marketing device. But that
is all it is. It is not the truth. - from his McLibel witness statement
"None of the plaintiffs' promotional literature I have seen can be fairly
said to give a truly balanced viewpoint. It is, therefore, essential that
public comment and indeed vigorous criticism be allowed, no matter how ruffling
it may be to the plaintiffs' own self-esteem." - from his McLibel witness statement
Michael Crawford, Director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition
"During my visit to Indonesia and Malaysia this spring, deep concern
was being publicly expressed by health workers, that this had already happened:
diabetes and heart disease were appearing as a new health problem. The high
profile Western foods and fast foods outlets such as McDonald's, is seen
as playing a significant part in the introduction of these diseases which
are new to these parts of the world." - from his McLibel witness statement
David Green, Senior Vice-President of Marketing (USA)
"McDonald's food is nutritious"
In response to the McLibel defendants question, 'is Coca Cola nutritious', he said it is: "providing water, and I think that is part of a balanced diet" - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Professor Wheelock, McDonald's consultant on nutrition
When asked to define junk food, said it was: "whatever a person doesn't like" - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Den Fujita, McDonald's Japanese President
"the reason Japanese people are so short and have yellow skins is because they have eaten nothing but fish and rice for two thousand years... if we eat McDonald's hamburgers and potatoes for a thousand years we will become taller, our skin become white and our hair blonde." - from Behind the Arches, the authorised biography of McDonald's.
Internal McDonald's Memo, 1986
"McDonald's should attempt to deflect the basic negative thrust of our critics.....How do we do this? By talking 'moderation and balance'. We can't really address or defend nutrition. We don't sell nutrition and people don't come to McDonald's for nutrition."
Advertising and Promotions
McDonald's official & confidential 'Operations Manual'
"Ronald loves McDonald's and McDonald's food. And so do children, because they love Ronald. Remember, children exert a phenomenal influence when it comes to restaurant selection. This means you should do everything you can to appeal to children's love for Ronald and McDonald's."
Alistair Fairgrieve, McDonald's UK Marketing Services Manager
"It is our objective to dominate the communications area...because we are competing for a share of the customer's mind." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial.
Sue Dibb
"Children are a major influence on household food purchases and have
been
described by one major marketing company as an 'advertisers' dream', an important force in the market place not only on their own account , but on the amount of influence they exert on the purchases of their parents. This 'pester power' is highly
influential. Research has also shown that two-thirds of children who asked their parents for advertised products were granted their requests. " - from her McLibel witness statement
Juliet Gellatley, researcher
"Clearly, a main purpose of the advertising aimed at two to eight year
olds is precisely to encourage children to ask their parents to take them
to McDonald's - otherwise what would be the point in advertising directly
to such young children? " - from her McLibel witness statement
"McDonald's have clearly succeeded in indocrinating many children to
believe that indeed they are not normal if they do not patronise their outlets." - from her McLibel witness statement
"No other burger chain has ever been raised in school talks. I
found the widespread worry (particularly of teenagers) to not be able to
go into McDonald's quite extraordinary. " - from her McLibel witness statement
Adrian Mitchell
"When a huge corporation decides to use its resources to prosecute
a few people for distributing a few leaflets by hand, something seems wrong
to me." - from his McLibel witness statement
Recycling and Waste
Ed Oakley, McDonald's Head of Purchasing, UK)
There is "no landfill problem in the UK"
"I can see [the dumping of waste] to be a benefit, otherwise you will end up with lots of vast, empty gravel pits all over the country." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Theo Hopkins
"I believe that the temperate and boreal forests that were the source
of the paper used by the McDonald's Corporation in 1989/1990 are and were
not fully sustainable, and specifically, were not ecologically sustainable." - from his McLibel witness statement
"As these forests were not ecologically sustainable, I believe that the
use of products using material from these forests was self evidently damaging
to the environment. " - from his McLibel witness statement
Ann Link, paper bleaching, dioxins and organochloride expert
"In order to minimise use of resources and the production of waste, items
should be necessary and durable, so that they can be REUSED many times." - from her McLibel witness statement
"The existence of McDonald's in its present set-up increases the amount of
solid waste which has to be dealt with." - from her McLibel witness statement
Brian Lipsett, Research Analyst for Citizen's Clearinghouse for Hazardous
Waste
"CCHW research determined that McDonalds contributed 1.3 billion cubic
feet of foam food packaging waste to the nation's waste stream annually." - from his McLibel witness statement
Colin McIntyre, Press Officer for over 30 resident groups
"McDonald's has bought a steady diet of pollution to an otherwise mainly
residential neighbourhood." - from his McLibel witness statement
"For a few brief weeks they operated a so-called 'litter patrol', long since
discontinued. This did not stop the then Manager assuring a Council committee,
considering a late night extension to midnight for their restaurant, that
the litter-patrols existed. This was a blatant lie which went unchallenged
at the time." - from his McLibel witness statement
Destruction of Rainforests
HRH Prince Philip and George Cohon, President of McDonald's Canada
PP: "So you are the people who are tearing down the Brazilian rainforests and breeding cattle"
GC: "I think you are mistaken."
PP: "Rubbish."
Siegfried Pater, Third World Expert
"I am able to show the link between the expansion of the biggest fast
food chain, the worldwide expanding corporation McDonald's (McD) and the
escalation of the hunger in the world. Whereas in Brazil about half of the
population suffers of hunger. Soya is not been sold or distributed to the
people. But is for export where it will be fed to McD cattle." - from his McLibel witness statement
Sergio Quintana, Meat plant manager, suppliers to McDonald's
"Recently, we have become one of the largest suppliers to the fast
food chains in this country and in particular to McDonald's. We now sell a total
of between 20 and 24 tonnes of minced meat for hamburgers per month, which
is produced here in the Montesillos Cooperative." - from his McLibel witness statement
Charles Secrett, Director of Friends of the Earth UK
"It is my considered view that, as McDonald's are unable to
categorically prove that all the beef supplies used in their United States
restaurants at all times only came from cattle reared in the U.S., and never
originated from South or Central American countries as the overwhelming
weight of circumstantial evidence points toward for the 1970s and up at
least until the end of 1986, it is surely right for McDonald's to now admit
publicly that uncertainty, for their public statements to the contrary to
be withdrawn, and for them to recognise that critics of the beef-purchasing
and use practices and policies have been entitled to raise such concerns
in public." - from his McLibel witness statement
Employees and Trade Unions
Sid Nicholson, McDonald's UK Vice President
McDonald's starting rates for crew employees for most of the country are "consistently either exactly the same as the minimum rates of pay set by the Wages Council or just a few pence over them." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
For crew aged 21 or over the company " couldn't actually pay any lower wages without falling foul of the law." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
"I do not accept that McDonald's crew are low paid." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Any McDonald's workers interested in union membership "would not be allowed to collect subscriptions...put up notices...pass out any leaflets...to organise a meeting for staff to discuss conditions at the store on the premises...or to inform the union about conditions inside the stores" - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
"They would not be allowed to carry out any overt union activity on McDonald's premises."- giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Jill Barnes, McDonald's UK Hygiene and Safety Officer
"Safety is not seen as being important at store level."
Health & Safety Executive report of 1992
"The application of McDonald's hustle policy [ie. getting staff to work at speed] in many restaurants was, in effect, putting the service of the customer before the safety of employees." - giving evidence in the McLibel Trial
Working Conditions at McDonald's
Siamak Alimi, McDonald's Training Squad, Colchester (UK), 1985 - 1987
"If anyone joined a Union or even seriously considered joining a union,
they would be sacked." - from his McLibel witness statement
"I knew of cases where employees in my store worked as much as 26
hours in a row." - from his from his McLibel witness statement
"Every time you were seen not smiling you were called to the corner and
told to smile." - from his McLibel witness statement
Adrian Brett, McDonald's 2nd Asistant Manager, Colchester (UK), May
1986 - May 1991
"Staff were only allowed to go for 'a quick fag or coffee'
or a burger out the back to keep them awake." - from his McLibel witness statement
"The shake machine was never cleaned properly and on one occassion maggots
were actually found in the shake machine in Bury St Edmunds." - from his McLibel witness statement
"Syrups and shake mix were always watered down on a regular basis, i.e.
daily." - from his McLibel witness statement
Andrew Cranna, McDonald's management, West Ealing, London (UK), 1984
- 1986
"Most of the crew in store were generally made to feel as if they were
fully expendable." - from his McLibel witness statement
Simon Gibney, McDonald's Floor Manager, Colchester (UK), June 1984
- Nov 1987
"Looking back now, I find it alarming that the labour rate was the only
thing taken into account when setting staffing levels, safety played absolutely
no part." - from his McLibel witness statement
Kevin Harrison, McDonald's 2nd Assistant Manager, Colchester and Ipswich
(UK), 1986 - 1987
"I believe there was very much a hidden agenda of expoitation of crew
members wherever possible by all levels of management." - from his McLibel witness statement
Nicholas McGill, McDonald's crew member, Marble Arch (UK), Oct 1986 -
March 1987
"I am of the view that McDonald's brain washes its employees. The general
Management practice was that where a person was not liked or was perceived
not to be pulling his or her weight, that person's life was made a misery
and he or she generally left. I would describe the McDonalds' style of employment
as being similar to rats running round a maze, being prodded with an electric
probe in order to correct deviation. The majority of the employees worked
well over the 39 hours per week specified in the Handbook. The limit was
a joke. Most people did not object to working over 39 hours because they
needed the money. A few people at the store even did 24 hour shifts." - from his McLibel witness statement
Sean Mrozek, McDonald's crew member and union organiser, Dublin (Ireland),
1979
"So in conclusion I would state that McDonalds have a definite anti-trade
union policy. After all low wages means higher profits. " - from his McLibel witness statement
Elin Odlolien, McDonald's crew member in Lillehammer (Norway), as of
Oct 30th 1995
"I have the impression that McDonald's think they are above the rules
and regulations that others must follow." - from his McLibel witness statement
Phillip Pearson, TGWU union official (London), April 1980 - Nov 1992,
on practices
"In at least one case a lay union organiser found that he had trade union
material stolen from his locker and was told by management that they can
do what they like. They admitted to the employee that they did steal the
material." - from his McLibel witness statement
Racism/ Sexism
Ian Whittle, McDonald's crew member, Sutton (UK), 1983 - 1986
"The Manager openly agreed that women - the prettier the better - should
operate the tills, especially on a Saturday. This would encourage male custom.
Despite the presence of Asian, Black and Oriental managers, the store was
blatantly racist. " - from his McLibel witness statement
Food Poisoning and BSE
Stephen Dealler, Medical microbiologist
"The major problem with BSE is that there is no evidence that BSE will
not infect humans to produce a similarly untreatable, undiagnosable, fatal
disease (indeed we can estimate that there is a 70% chance that humans could
be affected)." - from his McLibel witness statement
"It was therefore known at that time that a risk was present to humans and
that the calculation of this risk was currently impossible." - from his McLibel witness statement
"In 1993 I published a more precise scientific article, fully based on
MAFF data and published scientific facts, and using conservative assumptions,
and standard epidemiological and mathematical techniques to calculate the
risk to humans. This assumed that all cattle with disease were reported
by farmers, that all cattle with BSE disease were diagnosed, and that BSE
behaved like any other TSE. This showed to the risk to be unacceptably high." - from his McLibel witness statement
Marja-Liisa Hovi, former veterinary surgeon at a slaughterhouse supplying McDonald's
"The slaughterhouse and the cutting premises operated with a considerable
overcapacity causing the meat to be cut and dispatched at temperatures higher
than required (+7 C) leading to an added risk of contamination and bacterial
growth." - from her McLibel witness statement
"No hygiene checks or quality control measures were carried out at the premises
and my suggestions to set up a surface swab programme were met with strong
resistance." - from her McLibel witness statement
"There was no proper separation between the 'dirty' and the 'clean'
side of the slaughterhouse leading to a considerable risk from airborne
contamination of the dressed carcasses." - from her McLibel witness statement
"Throughout the plant there was a shortage of facilities for disinfection
of hand tools and knives leading to contamination of the carcasses and meat." - from her McLibel witness statement
"There was no separate, chilled detention room for condemned or detained
carcasses. This often lead to a situation where detained carcasses were
kept in the same chillers with carcasses that had past the inspection. This
practice easily leads to either contact or airborne contamination." - from her McLibel witness statement
"The carcasses were washed with high pressure water before the inspection.
This practice is dangerous as it can lead to the inspectors missing pathological
changes and leads to airborne contamination." - from her McLibel witness statement
"The chillers were as a rule overfilled, this leading to contact contamination
and preventing proper chilling of the carcasses." - from her McLibel witness statement
Richard North, Independent Health Officer for the hotel and catering industry
"To that extent, high volume production - with its adverse hygiene implications
is 'driven' by the very nature of McDonalds, which is a high volume
business. In this sense, it is fair to say that the McDonalds operation,
taken as a whole, is intrinsically unhygienic - despite the emphasis on
wholesome appearance and allied attributes." - from his McLibel witness statement
"The consumer safety relies almost exclusively on systems
in the various shops, with no defence in depth, the previous processing
having ensured that spread of contamination has been maximised." - from his McLibel witness statement
Animal Welfare
Ed Oakley, Chief Purchasing Officer for McDonald's UK
"Animal welfare policy is, in fact, just a policy to comply with the laws of the various countries in which McDonald's operate" - giving evidence in the McLibel trial.
Clare Druce
."The modern broiler chicken is a genetic freak, the product of generations
of selection for fast growth. This selection has shown a marked lack of
concern, on the part or poultry scientists, for the birds' well-being. " - from her McLibel witness statement
Alan Long, Farming research advisor
"Human wit and resource have failed to oust the ugliness and cruelty
inflicted on the animals in these conditions." - from his McLibel witness statement
"The market in manufacturing beef is an evil by-product of the dairy
industry: 1 lb of 'vegetarian' cheese is as objectionable - or
more so - than 1lb of this beef." - from his McLibel witness statement
"About 1 million birds die each year on British roads, just in transit
from 'units' to 'packing stations'." - from his McLibel witness statement
Andrew Tyler, Journalist and animal welfare expert
"Perhaps my most illuminating experience was when I worked a week (for
research purposes) from August 15 1988 at an intensive pig farm.
The fate of the breeders was procreation without pause. For the female constrained
throughout in a variety of tight fitting crates, stalls or crowded group
pens, this meant a constant cycle of pregnancies - her young removed three
weeks after birth and her almost immediate forced reimpregnation." - from his McLibel witness statement
"The stunner admitted to me on audio tape that he was stunning the animals
for substantially less time than required by Ministry regulations." - from his McLibel witness statement
"It inevitably meant that many of the animals passing through his hands were
still conscious when they were shackled by a back leg, hoisted several feet
in the air and had their throats cut. " - from his McLibel witness statement
"For all these reasons, I regard the way 'livestock' animals are killed
in this country to be a form of murder - one of the Oxford English dictionary
meanings of murder being to 'kill wickedly or inhumane'." - from his McLibel witness statement
"Furthermore, based on my experience, I would argue that the
way livestock animals - pigs being the species I am most familiar with -
are bred, fattened and bartered, more often than not amounts to inhumane
torture - given that one of the dictionary meanings of 'torture' is the
infliction of severe physical or mental pain. " - from his McLibel witness statement
Vikki Watkins, Animal Welfare Campaigner
"Upon entering one of the chicken sheds, I found that many of the birds
had been left to suffer in the most distressing conditions. I found that
many of the birds were suffering with grotesque hip and leg deformities,
some so crippled that they were unable to stand. Some birds were dying,
unable to drag themselves to the feed and water points." - from her McLibel witness statement
