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In recent months, preparations have been made for the establishment of a food factory in the uplands of Árnessýsla, which will be a center for product development and processing of vegetables and to strengthen vocational and university education in the area through teaching and research.

In Flúðir, Matís will rent premises at Iðjuslóð 2 for the food factory and the operation is secured with the cooperation of Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, Háskólafélag Suðurlands, Hrunamannahreppur, Bláskógarbyggð, Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur, Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur, Mat horticulture, Matís horticulture, An agreement on this subject was recently signed.

The main goal of the project is to build a development center for small-scale food production, ie to establish small-scale production, product development and research of horticultural products in the area and thus create new and interesting opportunities in Flúðir and the surrounding area, but also to create an important platform for entrepreneurs and small producers complete their products for marketing.

Suðurlands Growth Agreement provided grants for the preparation and development of the food factory.

A special project for three is about the operation and operation of the food factory in Flúðir. The partners will work together to ensure the progress of the project so that the facilities can be used for development work, teaching, courses and experimental activities.

In the near future, an employee will be hired for the workshop. Matís invests heavily in its operations outside the capital area and in collaboration with companies and stakeholders throughout the country, but the company operates offices in six locations outside Reykjavík.

Further information is provided by Guðjón Þorkelsson and Hörður G. Kristinsson at Matís. The accompanying photos show when the agreements were signed.

Pollution of heavy metals and other toxins in the sea around the country is generally well below international standards, as stated in Matís' new report on changes in the marine environment around the country (AMSUM 2009).

The concentration of cadmium in Icelandic mussels, however, is higher than is generally the case in mussels from the waters of Europe and America.

Since 1989, an annual monitoring project of pollutants in the marine environment of Iceland has been underway. The project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and Matís ohf. The Environment Agency is the project's administrator.

Various pollutants in the ocean can enter marine organisms or organisms that feed on seafood. In many cases, this pollution is man-made and there is growing concern about this development. Pollutants are transported by air and sea currents from mainland Europe and America as well as pollution from Iceland. It is therefore important to monitor the amount of pollutants in Iceland, both in the environment and in the organisms that live in the country. It is also important to be able to compare the state of the marine life around Iceland with the situation in other countries, not least because of the importance of marine products to the nation.

In Matís' report (Monitoring of the marine biosphere around Iceland in 2008 - 2009) are the results of the monitoring project for the years 2008 and 2009. The study measures the trace elements lead, cadmium, mercury, copper and zinc, arsenic and selenium, the persistent organic pollutants HCH, HCB, PCB, chloride, trans-nonachlor, toxaphen, DDT and PBDE. The aim of the monitoring project is to identify changes that may occur in the concentration of trace elements in the marine environment around the country during a certain period and between different ocean and coastal areas. Among other things, the research is important for the sale of Icelandic seafood in both domestic and foreign markets, where it can be demonstrated with scientific data that Icelandic fish is caught in an unpolluted environment.

The report states that the concentration of heavy metals such as mercury is very low. However, the concentration of cadmium has sometimes been higher in the marine environment in Iceland than in more southerly areas. However, the amount of cadmium is low in the organisms studied, for example in the range of 0.1-1 mg / kg in mussels. The high concentration of cadmium in Iceland is regional and is considered to have natural causes as there is no evidence of man-made cadmium pollution. Thus, for example, cadmium levels in mussels have been higher in recent years in various places that are far from residential areas and commercial activities, such as in Mjóafjörður, than in Hvalfjörður and Straumsvík. Persistent organic pollutants are low in mussels and cod in Iceland.

For further information, please contact Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir and Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir at Matís.

"The facilities and advice we received at Matís' food factory in Höfn in Hornafjörður were the key to the company becoming a reality".

This is what Kristín Þorvaldsdóttir from the company Hundahreysti says, who launched a new type of dog food at the beginning of April last year. The feed is produced according to the Swedish model, which uses Icelandic ingredients. The company is owned by Kristín and her husband, Daníel V. Elíasson, a food technician, but Kristín herself is a business graduate.

They introduced fresh food for dogs in Sweden at the time and after they moved back to Iceland they planned to import the food but it was not allowed as it is a raw material. Kristín works within the Icelandic Kennel Club and decided to combine her hobby and education and start a company for the production. This was the fateful autumn of 2008 and suddenly all assumptions about the financing of the production failed.

"The cost of production facilities was a difficult task for such a small innovative company, but at the beginning of 2009 we were pointed out the possibility of starting production at Matís' food factory in Höfn. In short, we went there, started trying to adapt the Nordic feed to Icelandic conditions. After that, we started production at Matís and got started. At Höfn we got all the facilities we needed and invaluable advice and help from Matís employees. And 10 months after we first launched the product, we have reached a 270 square meter production facility in Kópavogur, "says Kristín.

A group of dog owners was hired to test the production in the beginning and almost everyone is in Hundahreystur's customer group today. The production is about 4 tons per month, but the feed uses raw Icelandic mutton, beef belly and beef blood. No animal by-products other than bovine animals are used. In addition, it is added to potato fiber, wheat bran, calcium, minerals and vitamins. The meat in the feed is raw and that is why it is called fresh feed. The feed is sold frozen and stored for approx. year in the freezer. Nordic fresh food is complete food for dogs and there is no need to give the dog any supplement or mix with other food.

"Fortunately, we did not let the economic collapse stop us and most of all we received the help we received from Matís," says Kristín in Hundahreysti.

Further information can be obtained from Guðmundur H. Gunnarsson, Matís' professional and station manager at Höfn in Hornafjörður, gudmundur.h.gunnarsson@matis.is and with Kristín at Hundahreysti, 892-5292, www.hundahreysti.is.

On the 19th and 20th of October. A conference on fishing, processing, marketing and research on longline fish will be held in Gullhömri.

The conference is organized by Matís, Nofima in Norway, the University of Tromsø and Havstovan in the Faroe Islands. Lectures will be given by experts at various stages of the line fish value chain, followed by a general discussion among participants, i.e. Efforts will be made to identify the main opportunities in the industry. The conference will be held in English and the agenda can be accessed here.

Admission is free and open to all.

It is necessary to register, however jonas.r.vidarsson@matis.is (no later than October 15). 

On 30 August, a conference on pelagic fish was held at Gardemoen in Norway. The title of the conference was "Opportunities and opportunities in the pelagic fish industry. Looking to the future“.

SINTEF in Norway organized the conference in collaboration with Matís, the Technical University of Denmark and Chalmers University in Sweden. The topic of the lectures dealt with the handling of the catch on board, the production of products and by-products, as well as the quality and impact of pelagic fish on public health. Among the speakers from Iceland were Ásbjörn Jónsson and Sigurjón Arason from Matís together with Sindri Sigurðsson, quality manager of Síldarvinnslan.

The conference was well attended and was a great success. There was a lot of speculation about the position and future prospects in the pelagic fish industry and the possibilities that exist for increased production of products for consumers.

For further information, please contact Ásbjörn Jónsson, asbjorn.jonsson@matis.is.

Research is being carried out to increase knowledge of the properties of fat and its stability with regard to the condition of fish during fishing.

Fat composition in cod meat (Gadus morhua) according to season and fishing areas

In lean fish such as cod, fat development was not considered a problem. However, cod muscle contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids which are easy to crave during storage. These changes have a negative effect on the taste and appearance of products. Research is being carried out to increase knowledge of the properties of fat and its stability with regard to the condition of fish during fishing. The condition of the fish is determined by various factors, such as the season, fishing area, size and age of the fish. Improved knowledge of raw materials and their stability during processing and storage will facilitate production management in fish processing, where the shelf life and quality of products are taken into account. 

The research is funded by the Fisheries Project Fund, which will run until the end of 2011.

Participants in the project are Oddi hf, KG Fiskverkun ehf, Þorbjörn, Skinney-Þinganes hf and Matís ohf. Project manager is Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, Matís ohf. 

Project title: Fat composition in cod meat (Gadus morhua) according to season and fishing areas

For further information, please contact Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, tel: 422-5081, e-mail: kristin.a.thorarinsdottir@matis.is.

A new project has now begun at Matís, which intends to investigate the effects of different salting methods and additives in order to reduce the negative effects of death stiffness on brine uptake. 

There is a big difference between the processing properties of farmed cod and wild cod. The growth of farmed cod is faster and the conditions in the environment are different. Slaughtering and handling of wild fish are also controlled. Previous research has shown that it is best to process farmed cod before death, but this has created problems in the production of lightly salted products. The physiological processes that occur during death stiffness counteract weight gain, partly because the muscle contracts. In the spring of 2010, AVS approved (www.avs.is), to support projects to investigate the effects of different salting methods and additives in order to reduce the negative effects of mortality on brine uptake. Experiments will be launched in the autumn, but the project is expected to be completed in June 2011.

Participants in the project are Hraðfrystihúsið - Gunnvör hf and Matís ohf. Kristján G. Jóakimsson is the project manager and Kristín A. Þórarinsdóttir, kristin.a.thorarinsdottir@matis.is, directs the work carried out by Matís in the project. 

Project title: Lightly salted products from farmed cod