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Oddur Már Gunnarsson, Head of Business Development at Matís, has taken over the position of Secretary General of SAFE. It is a great honor for Odd personally and for Matís that he has been chosen to carry out this important work, but SAFE Consortium is a network of research companies and institutions on food safety.

Odd's selection for the position of Secretary General shows Matís 'best position when it comes to food security issues, but one of Matís' roles according to law is to ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services.

In addition to holding the position of SAFE's Secretary General, Matís will chair the network and oversee all of its operations.

"One of the things we do online is to carry out new projects related to food safety, and recently we have led this work as chairman," says Oddur Már Gunnarsson, division manager at Matís and general secretary of SAFE.

For further information Oddur Már.

SAFE Consortium website: www.safeconsortium.org/

Króli ehf Fjallabyggð recently formally handed over a new floating pier in Innri Höfn in Siglufjörður. This is the first floating pier from Króli ehf., Where a propeller anchor developed by Hafbor ehf. Is used to attach the pier to the seabed. This is a collaboration between Króli, Hafbor, Rannís and Matís.

On that occasion, an agreement was signed between Hafbor ehf.

KRÓLI ehf, which is owned by Kristján Óli Hjaltason, has in recent years built up specialized services with concrete floating piers and equipment for Icelandic ports, but with the first piers there were units that have served the people of Siglfjörður for well over 20 years. The floating docks are Swedish design, but 2 years ago an agreement was signed with the unit's designer to start production in Iceland. The production is in the hands of Loftorka in Borgarnes ehf, where everything meets the quality requirements of SF Marina AB in Sweden, which has been one of the leading wharf manufacturers in the world. Siglufjarðarhöfn is the first buyer of concrete 12 meter fingers, which is a novelty in mooring at floating piers, but the fingers are suitable for mooring large covered boats that call for more space at piers.

Hafbor ehf in Siglufjörður, which is owned by Erling Jónsson, Hilmar Erlingsson and Gunnar Júlíusson, has for the past three years designed, developed and tested equipment that attaches screw anchors to the seabed with new technology in collaboration with Matís, Rannís and others. The technology makes it possible to install powerful anchors in the seabed without divers at depths of up to 100 meters. The technology is aimed at use for mussel farming and aquaculture at great depths, but is also useful in various other situations and uses where parts need to be attached to the seabed.

The agreement grants Króli ehf a license to market Hafbor's technical solutions through the international network of SF Marina AB and Seaflex AB, but these parties have already expressed their interest and expectations for the new equipment and it is expected that this agreement will strengthen domestic production and knowledge.

Hafbor ehf will focus on marketing to aquaculture of all types and it is worth mentioning that negotiations are currently in the final stages with KZO Seafarms and Catalina Seafarms in California for the installation of the first mussels and oyster farm in the USA located outside the 3 mile state jurisdiction, in federal waters. eight miles from Los Angeles. The aim is to sign agreements in the coming weeks and for construction to begin in early January 2013. Mussel farming KZO and Catalina Seafarms will be under the strict supervision of scientists in the coming years and high demands will be made on all equipment used in the area. The first phase involves the installation of 90 mussel lines in two areas, and if a permit is obtained, the aim is to increase the number of lines tenfold over the next five to six years.

The managing director of Hafbor ehf is Ingvar Erlingsson and the company is based at Gránugata 5 in Siglufjörður.

For further information, contact Matís Gunnar Þórðarson station manager in Ísafjörður.

The fisheries conference will be held at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavík on 8-9. November 2012 and is entitled "Looking to the future". 

 Á the conference There will be more than 30 presentations and seminars will be as follows: 

•  Icelandic fisheries
• Should Icelanders have a joint marketing job?
• Future opportunities in aquaculture
• All raw materials on land?
• Is there a future in full processing in Iceland?
• World supply of competitive demersal species
• Supply of competitive species of pelagic fish in the North Atlantic
• Fishery management and harvesting in Iceland and the EU

You can now download the program Here.

Further information can be found on the Fisheries Conference website, sjavarutvegsradstefnan.is/

3X Technology, Matís and the fish processing company Jakob Valgeir ehf. have jointly been in charge of a research project this summer where a new device, Rotex, has been tested for bleeding cod.

Preliminary results are now available which show a decisive difference in the quality of landed fish that have been bled into Rotex equipment. Traditional bleeding on board longliners in the small boat system is that fish is bled into sludge in a tank which is then discharged by landing into another tank before the fish is taken for gutting. 3X Technology has developed a bleeding device, Rotex, which controls the bleeding process before the fish is processed in a sludge tank on a train, and the company has already obtained a patent for the device.

Increases the quality of landed catch
"There are now results of research on fresh produce, all of which indicate that Rotex equipment can significantly increase the quality of landed catch. The fish was whiter, less blood was measured in it and the quality of the raw material that passed through the equipment turned out to be much more even. Three methods are used to assess quality; sensory evaluation team that relies on subjective evaluation by experts, color analysis with special equipment that relies on objective evaluation of quality and finally the latest methods for evaluation of blood emptying, measurement of red blood cells. The effects of bleeding on frozen products will continue to be monitored for the next eighteen months, and the results will be published later, "says Gunnar Þórðarson, Matís' station manager in Ísafjörður.

It is clear that this is of great interest as the landed catch of small boats is less than 100 thousand tonnes per year, and the increased quality of that catch can be of great importance to the fishing industry and society. The nation's quality of life is largely based on the performance of its most important resource, and it is therefore important to maximize the value that the fisheries sector produces.

The future is based on research and development
"It can be said that the cooperation of parties in the market is the backbone of success in such projects. In this particular project have worked together; the equipment manufacturer 3X Technology, the fish manufacturer Jakob Valgeir ehf. and the research company Matís. However, such projects will not exist without the involvement of research funds, but the project is funded by the AVS Research Fund and the Westfjords Growth Agreement. The future of the Icelandic fisheries sector will be based on research and development to strengthen market competitiveness and ensure sales in the highest paying markets in the future.

Apart from bleeding, cooling the raw material immediately after fishing can be very important. 3X Technology has already developed, in collaboration with Íslandssaga in Suðureyri, sludge equipment for larger boats to quickly cool the catch after bleeding. This delays death stiffening, but no damage processes begin before but after it ends. By delaying the death solidification, it is possible to ensure that gutting, which is carried out on land, does not take place during it, as this causes a great deterioration in the quality of raw materials. The company will continue to develop equipment that is suitable on board boats in the small boat system, "Gunnar concludes.

For further information Gunnar Þórðarson, station manager at Matís.

Rannís Science Week 2012 was held on Friday 28 September. A large number of people attended the science vigil and it is safe to say that never before, but right now, have more people visited Matís' booth.

Icelandic seaweed and Icelandic seaweed was Matís 'theme this time and Matís' stall was decorated in that spirit. There are great opportunities in the kelp and seaweed and it can be expected that in the very next few years there will be many foods that contain both in one form or another. 

At Vísindavökun, seaweed pasta made from Icelandic barley was introduced and people were allowed to taste it. The demand for this new product was incredible and we had to look for containers in Háskólabíó so that people could taste it. The interest was so great that the 200 containers that originally belonged to the whole evening were finished in the first hour.

The skin creams from UNA Skincare were also introduced, but the UNA Skincare line is on all products and sales of this bioactive face cream are very successful (unaskincare.com/)

Then, of course, the kelp skyr was introduced, but now the skyr is about to hit the market.

For further information Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís.

MNÍ 2012 Food Day will be held at the Grand Hotel Reykjavík on the United Nations International Food Day, Tuesday 16 October, at 13-17. The title of the conference is "Food Safety and Consumer Protection - Where is the Responsibility?"

Registration for the Food Day has been opened on the website of the Food and Nutrition Association, www.mni.is. There you will also find further information and a program. Everyone is welcome on Food Day, participation fee is ISK. 7,000 but 3,500 for students.

Food safety and consumer protection Where does the responsibility lie?
The Icelandic Food and Nutrition Association (MNÍ) is announcing the MNÍ Food Day on Tuesday 16 October at the Grand Hotel Reykjavík. Food Day is an annual event that has been held since 1993 and is now being held for the 20th time.

With the introduction of new EU food legislation, more emphasis is being placed on producers' responsibility for food safety. Food control shall also be based on a risk assessment. Earlier this year, there was a great deal of discussion in the media and elsewhere in connection with certain issues that arose in the supervision of the food industry and became a source of speculation and discussion about food safety in Iceland. Following this, MNÍ believes that there is a need for responsible discussion and increased education for all those involved in such matters, and has therefore chosen food safety and consumer protection as the title of this year's Food Day with the hope of contributing to constructive public debate. forum. The main content of the day this year is risk assessment in food production and control, the responsibility of producers and consumers themselves for food handling. The responsibility of the media will also be discussed in the coverage of food and its marketing.

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Minister of Innovation and Industry, will chair the conference and Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, will chair the meeting.

At the opening of the conference, Orri Hauksson, CEO of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, will present Fjöregg MNÍ, an award given for a commendable initiative in the field of food production and human consumption. The grip is designed and built by Gleri in Bergvík and has been donated by the Confederation of Icelandic Industries since 1993.

Participation in the conference must be announced on the MNÍ website, www.mni.is, but registration ends at 24:00, Monday 15 October. The general participation fee is ISK 7,000, but students only have to pay ISK 3,500. Conference materials and light refreshments are included in the price, but the program starts at 13:00 to 17:00 and is published on the MNÍ website. There will also be news from the conference in the near future, as well as a list of those who will present their products and research in this field.

Food Day is open to the public and food, nutrition and consumer protection enthusiasts are encouraged to attend.

For further information, contact Fríða Rún Þórðardóttir, tel. 898-8798, frida@lsh.is.

Rannís Science Week will take place in Háskólabíó on Friday 28 September. A selection of exciting research projects will be presented at the Science Week this year, as in recent years.

Matís theme this year will be kelp. You will be offered to taste pasta made from Icelandic barley and Icelandic kelp. UNA Skincare will also present its day and night cream line, which is made from Icelandic seaweed.

Further information about Vísindavökan and Vísindakaffi, which will take place throughout the week, can be found on Rannís' website, http://www.rannis.is/visindavaka/visindavaka/

For further information Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, marketing director of Matís.