According to a report on News24 this monring The University of Stellenbosch (who conducted the sampling) told Business Day it would comply with the request by the forum and Media 24 despite the wishes of researchers to keep the information confidential.
University senior research and innovation director Therina Theron said the purpose of the study was not to “name and shame” meat processors and retailers.
“For these reasons, the sources of the test subjects were not put into the public domain by the researchers,” she was quoted as saying.
“However, unfortunately the recent requests for this information received under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) leave Stellenbosch University with no alternative but to make the detailed information available.”
The dispute pits the public’s right to access information held by a public institution against the right of scientists to uphold the independence of their work.
However, legal advice obtained from two advocates concluded that the university as a public institution was obliged to provide the data.
The meat study, which was conducted by the university, found traces of donkey, water buffalo, goat meat and soya in products that were incorrectly labelled.
Article: Duncan Alfreds, News24