There are ever-increasing demands that seafood sellers base their fishing on sustainability, says Óli Kristján Ármannsson's article in the latest The market, the business paper of Fréttablaðið. There is an interview with Svein Margeirsson, department manager at Matís, who says that sustainability may be a ticket to more expensive retail chains abroad. This is especially important for the fishing industry when a possible reduction in cod fishing is imminent.
A conference on sustainability in the fisheries sector will take place in Sauðárkrókur on 14 June. It is part of a West Nordic project called "Sustainable Food Information", which aims to make it easier for companies in the food industry, such as fisheries companies, to demonstrate sustainability in fishing, processing and sales. Matvælarannsóknir Íslands (Matís) is in charge of organizing the conference, according to an article in the Market.
"In that town, people say sustainability has become a particularly important concept in the fisheries sector in light of the ever-increasing demands of sellers, retail chains and consumers that marine resources are not wasted and that pollution from fishing, processing and transport of marine products is kept to a minimum. In order to demonstrate sustainability, however, it must be possible to trace the process that is taking place in the food industry, "says the Market article.
Icelanders are at the forefront
Sveinn Margeirsson, head of department in a field called new technology and markets at Matís ohf., Says that much good has been done in that regard in this country. "We're really good at traceability here," he says, "but by being able to trace the process, we get accurate information about the product. Sellers who have a "quality product" are said to be able to differentiate themselves better from others in the market. "
Sveinn says: "It is firstly about the consumer being able to know where the product comes from, but it is the factor that most people know, and secondly about being able to trace exactly which way the product went. If we take the example of lamb meat, the path from farmer to consumer would be through slaughter, meat processing, distribution and trade.