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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An appeals court says a food distributor's contracts with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics contain trade secrets that should be kept secret.
The ruling from the Iowa Court of Appeals means the university does not have to release its full contracts with Sysco under the open records law.
Sysco has fought to keep the records secret for two years, after the Cedar Rapids Gazette requested them.
The company argues that release of its pricing information would allow competitors to undercut its future bids, copy the incentives it offers to customers and cause other clients to demand similar pricing.
A judge had found Sysco failed to overcome the law's presumption of openness. But the appeals court overturned that ruling Wednesday, finding the information is valuable and should be confidential.
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