Contact
Ásta Heiðrún E. Pétursdóttir
Project Manager
asta.h.petursdottir@matis.is
Food safety - everyone's issue
Disease-causing microorganisms can be transmitted to food in various ways. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt good practices in the production and handling of food. With good practice and internal control of food companies, education, research and official control, it has been possible to keep disease cases due to food infections and food poisoning to a minimum in this country.
In recent years, production of food that has been developed and produced in small quantities from farms or districts has increased. With the increasing activity in the production of various foods, there is a need to draw attention to the weakest or most pathogenic micro-organisms that can be transmitted through food.
With increased knowledge of their properties and routes of transmission, consumers, food producers and other food processing enthusiasts should be able to ensure the safety of the foods they process. Food manufacturers are responsible for the safety of the products they produce.
Matís works on a variety of projects in the food industry, with particular emphasis on the health and safety of food. The projects are carried out in collaboration with domestic food producers, universities and all those who are in some way serving the food industry. Efforts are being made to increase collaboration with foreign research institutes and companies through international research and development projects.
The main research projects are in the field of microbial and chemical research on food, feed and the environment. Microbial studies cover most of the most important pathogens that can be found in food. Projects include method development and testing methods, research on the performance of micro-organisms in food and the environment, monitoring of micro-organisms and the effect of hygiene measures on micro-organisms. Chemical research includes contaminants and pesticides in food. This includes, for example, research on trace elements in marine products and various pesticides in vegetables and fruit.