Meaty surprises to remain just that

HAVE FAITH: This "trust me, trust me" sign was seen on a biltong stand in a KwaZulu-Natal branch of Clicks.

HAVE FAITH: This "trust me, trust me" sign was seen on a biltong stand in a KwaZulu-Natal branch of Clicks.

Published Oct 18, 2013

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This time last year, there would have been no need for a sign like the one I spotted in Clicks, reassuring shoppers that the biltong had been DNA tested by an independent, accredited lab.

But the publication since then of the results of a study by University of the Western Cape researchers of 146 biltong samples, mostly sourced in the Western Cape, which revealed that 77 percent of wild game samples were mislabelled, has made many distrustful of biltong labels.

Of course, the meaty mistrust really began in late 2012, with the publication of the results of a University of Stellenbosch study of 130 processed meat samples, which revealed that a shocking percentage contained meat species other than that which was revealed on the labels.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) announced at the time its intention to conduct its own investigation. So I was interested to read that in answer to questions in Parliament, the NCC said its tight budget meant that it only had enough money for one project a year, and that its meat-labelling investigation had cost about R1.4 million.

I asked Consumer Commissioner Ebrahim Mohamed how that money was spent and whether we were better protected from mislabelling. Mohamed said the investigation report was “almost complete” and would be sent to the minister when it was complete.

“The bulk of the costs incurred were attributed to travel of several officials crisscrossing the country to interview stakeholders in the meat industry.

“I do not have a breakdown of the costs, but will provide it when I have it.”

To be continued…

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