Author: Ísey Dís Hávarsdóttir

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. 

On Monday, Matís received a remarkable number of visitors to get acquainted with Icelandic entrepreneurship in the field of food, as well as several projects that Matís is working on in connection with food innovation.

After a great concert, Ed Sheeran's private chef Josh Harte and also singer Zara Larsson came with a beautiful entourage to learn about the powerful innovation work that Matís has been working on in recent years and to meet a group of food entrepreneurs. They got to know 3D food printing, which is part of the FutureKitchen project funded by EIT Food, but also a project funded by AVS, Tækniþróunarsjóður and FutureFish, with the aim of better connecting consumers to the origin of food. Matís' experts printed various delicacies from Icelandic ingredients in various forms. Then they were sent into the world of virtual reality and got to experience fishing and fish processing, as well as three-dimensional printing of fish by-products.

Josh Harte with Herborga Hjelm.

Josh and the food pioneers then had a long afternoon together where Icelandic food culture was introduced, along with the unique ingredients that the country has to offer. There was a lot of talk about sustainability and how far Icelanders have come in that field, as well as food waste, but Josh is very concerned about those issues. Delicious lamb was served to Josh directly from a farmer from Fjárhúsið who has a facility in Grandi Mathöll. Sviðakjammi from the place of the same name brought a lot of luck and surprise to both Zara and Josh, who got a bite and was very impressed. Diced Icelandic char was also offered from Matís' canteen, which was well received by Josh. The entrepreneurial company Nordic Wasabi, which breeds and sells real wasabi, introduced its products that paired well with the lamb and other products on offer. Íslensk Hollusta also presented Josh with a selection of its natural products from the seaweed and plant kingdom of Iceland. All the food went down so well with drinks from the entrepreneurial companies Álfur and Himbrima. Álfur brews beer from potato peels that otherwise find little or no use, and thus sets his goal to combat food waste. Himbrimi produces gin and other strong drinks that have the uniqueness of being produced with natural ingredients from the wild nature of Iceland. Matís' experts also presented the group with development projects related to Icelandic ingredients and our strong work throughout the country in supporting Icelandic food production and culture, as well as innovation.

The visit went well and the Icelandic food brought great luck. Josh says he has fallen for a country and a nation and can not wait to come here again. He runs a food blog on the road EIT Food of which Matís is a founding member. Here can find information about Josh and here is his first blog on his travels with Ed Sheeran. He will blog about his visit to Iceland and Matís in the next few days.

New professional guidelines for ham on the one hand and goat and sheep milking on the other are now available here on Matís' website. These are guidelines for good practice and internal control for small producers.

Óli Þór Hilmarsson, at Matís, compiled the text and the drawings are by Sólveiga Eva Magnúsdóttir. The professional guidelines for goat and sheep milking were prepared in collaboration with the Icelandic Goat Breeding Association, the National Association of Sheep Farmers, the association Beint frá býli and Matvælastofnun. The professional guidelines for ham were prepared in collaboration with the National Association of Sheep Farmers, the Food Administration and the association Beint frá býli.

The instructions can be found here:

Smoked lamb

Goat and sheep milking

When food hazards and / or food fraud occur, Matís can use genetic analysis to identify the source of infections or foods.

It is important to ensure that the latest knowledge, skills and technology are available in Iceland, that there is an active response service and that the response of legal entities is rapid and correct. It is also important that in the shortest possible time it is possible to identify the types of infections and their origin in order to prevent further infection and thus minimize the damage.

Matís receives samples to trace the origin when it has been confirmed that there is a food infection or food poisoning in patients. The samples are from patients, food and the environment and Matís uses, among other things, genetic analysis to verify the origin of infections and toxins.

Genetic analysis is also one of the tools used in the fight against food fraud and can be identified by both species and origin.

The process when a group infection occurs is based on the collaboration of many national inspectors and laboratories: the Chief Epidemiologist, the Food Administration, the Municipal Health Inspectorate, Landspítalinn and Matís.

International cooperation is important, both to build leading-edge technology and science and to ensure the right response to the epidemic.

See further interviews with Matís experts, Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir and Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, in RÚV Ten News (news starts at 6:40 min) and RÚV Rás morning radio.

Dr. Þorsteinn Ingi Sigfússon, professor and director of the Icelandic Innovation Center, was summoned on the eve of July 15.

The staff of Matís ohf. remembers a powerful scientist and entrepreneur and sends heartfelt condolences to his family and colleagues.

On behalf of Matís employees,

Oddur Már Gunnarsson, CEO of Matís

Matís ohf's microbiology department is asking its customers to limit sampling this week due to the heavy workload in the department due to research into the source of a group infection caused by Shiga-toxin producing E.coli (STEC), cf. press release from the Medical Director of Health. Of course, all priority samples and necessary samples are maintained to maintain the normal processing and operation of companies.

Since 2015, the Matís laboratory has been a reference laboratory for STEC and has worked to build up expertise and measurement capacity in Iceland. Through the network of the European Reference Laboratory, Matís participates in international collaborations in developing methods, assessing the spread and strengthening knowledge of STEC in food, the environment and patients. Matís offers diagnoses of STEC, both basic analyzes and complete analysis of positive samples to trace the origin of the infection. 

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Icelandic government have signed an agreement to start cooperating in the fight against antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to public health in the world today.

The signing took place in the celebration hall of the University of Iceland yesterday, but Matís has worked on the preparation of the collaborative project with Matvælastofnun, Keldur, the Department of Pathology at Landspítali, EFSA and DTU Fødevareinstituttet in Denmark.

The project involves research into bacterial antibiotic resistance (E. coli) in Iceland with a holistic analysis of their genetic material. It is hoped that the results will shed light on the origin of bacteria with the ability to develop antibiotic resistance (ESBL / AmpC). E. coli) and analyze the role of food, animals, humans and the environment in the spread of antibiotic resistance.

The results will be used to develop response plans to maintain a low level of antibiotic resistance or to slow down the development / increase of immunity as much as possible. for humans, animals and the environment.

See more news on the Mast website

On the 4th of July it was reported, that four children were diagnosed with a serious infection caused by the E. coli bacterium. An additional six children aged 20 months to 12 have now been diagnosed, bringing the total to ten cases. These six children are not seriously ill but will be monitored at the Hringur Children's Hospital in the next few days. The children who were diagnosed last week are on the road to recovery.

It now seems clear that nine of the children became infected at the tourist town of Efstadalur 2 in Bláskógabyggð 10 days to three weeks ago, but one child was probably infected by his siblings. Studies have shown that the E. coli bacterium that infected children is also found in faecal samples from local calves. It is not known for sure how the infection spread to the children, but further research into possible local transmission routes is still ongoing. Heilbrigðiseftirlit Suðurlands and Matvælastofnun took appropriate measures on 4 July in good cooperation with local authorities to prevent further spread of the bacterium.

It should be emphasized that it is not believed that the infection took place with water in Bláskógabyggð and there is no indication that the infection originated elsewhere in the countryside.

Individuals who have visited the tourism industry in the past two weeks and experienced diarrhea within 10 days of the visit are encouraged to consult their physician for further diagnosis. Asymptomatic individuals who have visited Efstadalur 2 do not need to see a doctor, nor do individuals who have experienced diarrhea that has now passed.

All parties involved in the case want to reiterate that this epidemic of E. coli is being taken very seriously and everyone has made an effort to inform this issue and take appropriate measures to prevent further infection. This event also provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of general hygiene and hand washing in food handling and after dealing with animals, especially when children are involved.

Epidemiologist
Matvælastofnun
Heilbrigðiseftirlit Suðurlands
Matís
Department of Pathology and Virology at Landspítali

Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, has appointed Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, Division Manager at Matís, as Chairman of the Risk Assessment Committee.

The role of the committee is to provide and supervise the implementation of scientific risk assessments for food, feed, fertilizers and seeds.

The composition of the committee is part of the government's action plan, which aims to strengthen food security, ensure the protection of livestock and improve the competitive position of domestic food production. The order is in accordance with the Food Act and the Act on the Control of Feed, Fertilizers and Seeds.

The Risk Assessment Committee consists of:

• Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir chairman, nominated by Matís
• Jóhannes Sveinbjörnsson, nominated by the Agricultural University of Iceland
• Charlotta Oddsdóttir, nominated by the University of Iceland Experimental Station at Keldur
• Þórhallur Ingi Halldórsson, nominated by the University of Iceland, Faculty of Nutrition
• Kamilla S. Jósefsdóttir, nominated by the Directorate of Health, Chief Epidemiologist
• Rafn Benediktsson, nominated by the University of Iceland, School of Health Sciences.

See news at mbl.is 

Last week, an interview with Hörður G. Kristinsson, director of research and innovation at Matís, was published in 200 miles on mbl.is. There he talks about research in the fisheries sector and their importance. He says that Icelanders are still in the forefront in many respects when it comes to such research, but there is a risk that Iceland will shrink if funding for research and development is not increased.

"We are concerned that if we do not get more injection into research and development, we will lose the advantage we have over other nations, many of which have invested more in such research while there is a certain stagnation going on here right now. , "Says Hörður.

The article can be read in its entirety here.