Author: Ísey Dís Hávarsdóttir

On Tuesday 24 September, Matvælastofnun and Matís will hold an educational meeting on food fraud. The meeting will be held in Matís' hall at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík. The meeting starts at 13:00 and is open to anyone interested in the topic.

The training session is part of a three-year Nordic project funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Representatives of the Food Inspectorate of the Health Inspectorate, employees of the Food Administration, employees of Matís, as well as representatives from the Office of the Director of Customs and the National Police are specially invited to the meeting.

All the Nordic countries, with the exception of Finland, are involved in this Nordic food fraud project. This project aims to define a common interpretation of food fraud and to establish Nordic cross-border food fraud. Education will be provided to those regulators involved in the fight against food fraud. The aim is to have a final report by the end of the project, which contains a common Nordic definition of food fraud and to state what has been achieved in each country in the project.

As mentioned before, the meeting is open to everyone, but those who intend to attend the meeting are asked to register by sending an e-mail to jonas@matis.is.

The meeting will be streamed live on Matís' Facebook page.

The agenda of the meeting is as follows:

13:00-13:25
Brief about Eu Food fraud network and introduction of the Nordic Food fraud project 2018-2020
Herdís Maríanne Guðjónsdóttir, MAST

13:30-14:30
Implementing a Country- or Regional-Level Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment (FFVA) and Food Fraud Prevention Strategy (FFPS).
Roy Fenoff, PhD Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the Citadel and research collaborator with the Michigan State University's Food Fraud Initiative.

14:35-15:00
Species substitution in the seafood industry
Jónas R. Viðarsson, Matís

15:00-15:20
Coffee

15:20-15:40
The fight against food fraud in Europe - EU coordinated actions
Rúnar I. Tryggvason, MAST

15:40-16:00
Food fraud and its challenges in food supplements: Do we need more awareness in an increasing e-commerce world!
Zulema Sullca Porta, MAST

Domestic food traditions and the origin of food are often unclear to children today as the connection from pasture to stomach is less clear than before. Consumption of the local environment also needs to be raised and interest in the utilization of raw materials and natural products from one's own environment needs to be stimulated. Children are the future and create a fun driving force for innovation and a healthy lifestyle in the spirit of the United Nations' Global Goals for the Sustainability of World Communities. The project KRAKKAR KOKKA is designed by Matís with the support of Matarauð Íslands at the Ministry of Industry and Innovation.

The project is based on the idea of entertainers and aims to strengthen children's knowledge and awareness of regional Icelandic primary food production and the generous Icelandic nature and its connection to food acquisition, through play and education. The project also emphasizes a discussion on responsible consumption where respect is given to nature and those who feed the nation, sustainable production methods, animal and human conditions and environmental considerations.

Health and well-being on the one hand and sustainability on the other are among the six basic elements of education according to the National Curriculum Guide for both primary and lower secondary schools. According to the National Curriculum Guide, the six basic elements revolve around "… On literacy in society, culture, environment and nature so that children and young people learn to build up mentally and physically, to save oneself in society and work with others. The basics revolve around also about the future vision and ability and willingness to influence and take an active part in maintaining, changing its community and develop it. ” KIDS KOKKA is designed with the aim that primary and lower secondary schools can easily and effectively use play and education through play and education as the only way to achieve these goals.

In short, the implementation of the project involves the children learning about the world goals of the United Nations, food traditions and the resources of their own region. Then the children go on a field trip to gather raw materials in the wild and / or to a primary producer in the area. The children then cook from the raw material that was picked up and finally consume the food. Part of the project involves the school in question making a short documentary about its implementation, which will be accessible to everyone for information on Matís' website at youtube.com, but the purpose is for children all over the country to learn in a live way about food traditions and resources in other parts of the country. by watching videos from other schools. The children, with the help of teachers or others, are involved in making the videos themselves. Thus, part of the project is that children educate children through entertainment in a medium that children use a lot today, about important issues in life and the present and the future. At the end of the project, the children answer an opinion poll on the progress of the project, where information about its success will be collected.

The video of the primary school east of the lakes in Skagafjörður about the implementation of the project can be seen here:

A conference on new methodologies in conservation biology that uses environmental DNA to assess biodiversity in ecosystems will be held on 2 and 3 October in the meeting room of the Marine Research Institute. This technology helps to overcome some of the shortcomings of other methods and offers a quick and inexpensive way to assess the biological diversity of the ocean.

The origin of eDNA in the ocean is various, but usually the DNA from the organisms comes from skin cells, mucus, eggs, eggs or faeces. Seawater is collected at different depths in the areas under study and the sea is then filtered. The filter contains DNA from organisms that can be analyzed by sequencing technology. Monitoring biodiversity with environmental DNA has many advantages over other methods and the method has proven successful in assessing biodiversity in many ecosystems.

At the conference, Icelandic and foreign experts will present research samples and discuss methods for using the DNA environment to measure and monitor biodiversity.

The conference will be held in the meeting room of the Marine Research Institute from 2 to 3 October 2019 and is open. Registration is a prerequisite for participation.

The conference is sponsored by Ag-Fisk and organized by Davíð Gíslason at Matís and Christopher Pampoulie at the Marine Research Institute.

Saltfish Week started last week and it has started well. Thirteen restaurants around the country offer gourmet salted fish dishes, each with its own format.

There is a long history and tradition for the processing of salted fish in this country, but before that the salt was used primarily to extend the shelf life. Today, however, the salt is used to produce a gourmet product that is very popular in southern Europe and goes by the name bacalao, baccalá or bacalhau. Icelandic salted fish is known for its excellent quality and plays an important role in food traditions, not least at Easter and Christmas. 

A trip for two to Barcelona to win

Everyone who takes part in the Saltfish Week has the opportunity to win a trip for two to Barcelona. All you have to do is order a salted fish dish at one of the restaurants participating in the week, post a photo of the dish on Instagram and post #saltfiskvika.

Here You can get the main information about the restaurants that take part in Saltfiskvik.

All further information can be found at saltfiskvika.is.

Yesterday, Saltfiskvika was formally launched with a fun ceremony in Salt kitchen by Þórunnartún. Mrs. Eliza Reid, patron of the national team of chefs and Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, were present. Master chefs from Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Icelandic national team of chefs conjured up a number of different and delicious dishes where salted fish was the main focus.

The aim of Saltfiskvikan is to draw attention to the gourmet product that is saltfish. Guest chefs Carlota Claver from Spain, Diogo Rocha from Portugal and Lorenzo Alessio from Italy will cook at some of the 13 restaurants participating in Saltfish Week.

They will present how salted fish can be cooked in their own way, but all of them have in common that they are highly regarded chefs who place great emphasis on salted fish and come from countries where salted fish is highly valued.

Mrs. Eliza Reid and Kristján Þór Júlíusson enjoyed delicious salted fish dishes.

Italian Michelin chef Lorenzo Alessio will today cook salted fish for preschool children at the Laufásborg preschool, where the children will enjoy world-class salted fish meals.

Saltfish Week lasts until September 15, but it lasts; Matís, Íslandsstofa, Kokkalandsliðið and Félag íslenskra saltfiskframleiðendar.

See more about Icelandic salted fish and Saltfish Week at www.saltfiskvika.is.

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir, project manager of Saltfiskvika, together with Kristin Björnsson at Íslandsstofa.

Diogo Rocha is a well-known chef in Portugal.

There is a long tradition for processing salted fish in this country, but before that the salt was used primarily to extend the shelf life of the fish. Today, salted fish is considered a gourmet product that is very popular in many parts of the world, not least in Southern Europe, where the traditions and quality of Icelandic salted fish play a major role.

Matís recently gathered information about the image of salted fish products in the minds of Icelanders, general knowledge of salted fish and its history, and the experience of salted fish. The survey was conducted in May 2019 and a total of 505 people completed the survey. 

Salt taste is not one of the main characteristics of salted fish

Salted fish that has been fully salted, replaced and dehydrated has a characteristic odor and effect, both of which are reminiscent of, for example, butter, popcorn, mushrooms, wet wood or dried fish. Salt taste, however, should not be one of the main characteristics of salted fish, even though the name "salted fish" indicates otherwise, and often causes misunderstandings, as the results of Matís' survey indicate.

Salted fish is not popular with the younger generation

There was a big difference in the participants' answers according to age. The results show that consumption of both fish and salted fish decreases with decreasing age. Only about 29% participants aged 18-29 eat salted fish once a year or more than the corresponding proportion for the oldest group, 60-70 years is about 94%. The main reasons why participants do not eat salted fish is that they do not like it, too salty, lack of supply and that there is little tradition for salted fish, but in general the experience of those who have bought salted fish in a restaurant, fish shop and grocery store is good.

The results of this survey show a decrease in knowledge, interest and consumption of salted fish in younger age groups compared to those who are older. It is likely that the image of salted fish as a quality product will be affected. In order to promote the consumption of salted fish, it needs to be better promoted and made more visible, not least among younger age groups, whether in canteens, supermarkets, fishmongers or restaurants.

Saltfiskvika 4 - 15 September 2019

Saltfiskvika will be blown up in restaurants around the country from 4 to 15 September. The goal of Saltfiskvikan is to make this one of Iceland's most valuable export products more attractive and to expand its path at home.

A total of 13 restaurants are participating, all with at least one salted fish dish on the menu. Guest chefs from Italy, Spain and Portugal are also expected to cook in selected locations.

Instagram game #saltfiskvika - Do you win a trip to Barcelona?

During the week, customers who order salted fish dishes from Saltfiskvikan's participants are encouraged to post a photo on Instagram, marked with the hashtag #saltfiskvika. One lucky participant will be drawn and will receive a trip for two to Barcelona.

Workplace canteens are encouraged to offer salted fish for lunch during Saltfish Week - as it applies no less to them than in the evenings. However, several workplaces have already decided to participate and offer salted fish for lunch during Saltfish Week, ie; Arion Bank, ITS, Marel, Origo, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, the Central Bank, Siminn and VÍS. The children at the Laufásborg kindergarten will also taste salted fish during the week, where an Italian national team chef will cook. Saltfisk must also be found in selected food packages 1, 2 & ELDA in Saltfiskvikan for those interested.

There are hopes that Icelanders will take the opportunity and give the salted fish a chance - as it is a gourmet product that has gone far too quietly here in Iceland.

At Saltfiskvikan stand; Matís, Íslandsstofa, Kokkalandsliðið and Félag íslenskra saltfiskframleiðendar.

See more about the survey here and Saltfiskvikuna á www.saltfiskvika.is.

Matís and the Faculty of Genetics at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, have worked together for years on various European projects, most recently in the "Virus-X" project, which studied the genetic variability of bacterial viruses in the environment and developed new enzymes for genetic engineering.

Recently, Dr. Hildegard Watzlawick from the University of Stuttgart Matís and brought to Matís a collection of enzymes and genetic engineering tools that the Faculty of Genetics has developed and built in recent years. The museum is of great value and an important knowledge transfer is taking place, which will be useful to Matís in research and development in biotechnology in the near future.

The latest issue of Bændablaðið discusses a report published by Matís on the production of horsemeat and the results of measurements of the nutritional content and properties of the meat.

Bændablaðið's review interviewed Eva Margrét Jónudóttir, who is one of the authors of the report, but she says that research on the properties of horsemeat is very deficient all over the world and that Iceland is no exception.

The conclusions of the report state, as stated above, that foal meat is a high-quality meat product that should meet all the main wishes of consumers in terms of quality, purity and nutritional value.

Bændablaðið's coverage can be found here.

In addition, there was an interview with Eva Margrét about the foal meat in the radio show Samfélagið on Channel 1. You can listen to the interview hereShare Share:

The co-operation project between Matís and Reykjagarður has now been completed, where work was done on integration within the bioeconomy, where great emphasis is placed on the transfer of knowledge between sectors. The project aimed at increased value creation through the utilization of unused by-products that have so far been disposed of, ie. utilization of chicken feathers in protein-rich flour that could be utilized in feed at aquaculture companies. The project has previously been reported on the website Matís. 

When using feathers in flour, it is important to break down the proteins contained in the feathers to make them digestible. The most widely used method used in this project is hydrolysis by pressurized welding, drying and grinding. Feather meal can be used in feed for pigs, fur animals, pets and fish. The advantage of using feather meal in feed for aquaculture is that research has shown that up to 30% of fish meal can be replaced by feather meal without affecting the growth of farmed fish. There is no need to pay for the import of raw materials and there is no need to catch or cultivate the raw material, as it is an underused by-product in the processing of chicken.

Feather meal has about 80% protein content and the amino acid composition is similar to the amino acid composition of fishmeal, but the flour needs to be slightly improved with regard to certain amino acids. Utilization of chicken feathers in farmed feed has a positive environmental impact, as the raw material has so far been landfilled with associated footprints and costs, but with the utilization of feathers in protein-rich flour, all by-products in chicken production are utilized, thus helping to achieve less landfill goals. Feed made from feather meal can be used for pig and fur breeding and such feed can also be given to pets. The results of the project are available in Matís report on the project.

Agricultural Productivity Fund and AVS Fisheries Research Fund supported the work done in the project.

Tomorrow, Thursday 8 August, meetings will be held in Ísafjörður and Tálknafjörður on the effects of salmon farming in the Westfjords. The meeting in Ísafjörður will be held at 12:00 on the first floor of Vestrahúsið but the meeting in Tálknafjörður will be held in Dunhagi at 20:00.

Matís and Vestfjarðastofa are inviting to the meeting, and the speaker will be Gunnar Davíðsson, who is the department manager at Troms county in northern Norway.

The meetings will review the impact of aquaculture on the economy and population development in Troms and consider the impact that aquaculture in the Westfjords may have in the quarter. Is it possible to draw lessons from the history of salmon farming in Troms county to assess its impact on human life and the economy of the Westfjords in the future?

Further information about the meeting can be found at Vestfjarðarstofa's website.