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It is now time to start an interesting project at Matís, in collaboration with and funded by Matarauður Íslands at the Ministry of Industry and Innovation. The project aims to strengthen the knowledge and awareness of Icelandic children about local, Icelandic primary production and the importance of its maintenance and development.

The project is an implementation of the idea of a cooking project for school children, in line with the sustainability goals / global goals of the United Nations and the need for a general change of mindset regarding consumption, maintenance and the structure of primary production. The project aims to raise the awareness and interest of Icelandic children in better utilization of food products (reduction of food waste), utilization of local Icelandic products in cooking, wealth of ideas and innovation in cooking from traditional Icelandic ingredients.

The special Icelandic food traditions and origins of food have become unclear to children in many places, as children today have become accustomed to the food coming in packaging from stores. This applies to larger and smaller communities, where access to the primary production of the local community is generally deficient and consumption based on the utilization of natural products from wildlife is declining compared to previous generations.

Partners in addition to Matarauður Íslands are Sveinn Kjartansson, chef, Hinrik Carl Ellertsson, chef, and three primary schools in Skagafjörður as well as Norðlingaskóli in Reykjavík.

A major step has now been taken in work aimed at increasing food security in Iceland even further, but yesterday a draft regulation on the risk assessment committee fell into the Consultation Portal - open government consultation with the public. This is great news, as it has taken a long time to issue this regulation, which will make an official scientific risk assessment possible in the field of food, feed, fertilizers and seeds.

Stakeholders, companies, institutions and individuals are encouraged to participate in the consultation by submitting a comment; it can be done on The consultation portal.

The governing charter of the current government emphasizes that Iceland is a leader in the production of wholesome agricultural products and will ensure the continued competitiveness of the fisheries sector. It says that there are opportunities based on an interest in food culture with sustainability and quality in mind. All of the country's organic resources, the bioeconomy, need to be further developed and innovation and product development promoted to increase the value of products and regional stability.

On this occasion, we are holding MNÍ Food Day to discuss food policy for Iceland from various perspectives. 

The program looks very good and exciting speakers who will shed light on their point of view and work with organizations on what food policy for Iceland should look like.

These include

• Jóna Björg Hlöðversdóttir from the Association of Young Farmers,
• Ara Edwald from Mjólkursamsälan,
• Bryndís Eva Birgisdóttir from the Laboratory of Nutrition,
• Axel Helgason from the National Association of Small Boat Owners,
• Kristján Þórarinsson from the Association of Companies in the Fisheries Sector
• and more very powerful speakers. 

For further information, contact Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, 858-5111.

Schedule and registration

Very interesting B.Sc. project ended this summer at the Agricultural University of Iceland. The project was carried out by Eva Margrét Jónudóttir and the project was to examine the attitudes and buying behavior of Icelandic consumers of horsemeat. 

The results were particularly interesting and were stated, among other things 

• horse and foal meat is not prominent enough and visible in stores all over the country 
• most of those who took part in the study were really positive and welcomed the discussion about horsemeat 
• 96% of the participants had tasted horse and / or foal meat 
• those who had not tasted were not interested, either because they did not eat meat over their heads or because they felt it was like eating their dog and thought it was wrong because of emotions

More information can be found at The shipwreck and at Eva Margrét Jónudóttir. 

Photo: Oddur Már Gunnarsson

Risk assessment has been considerable in the discussion recently. The discussion has, for example, revolved around the unrestricted import of fresh meat products and the slaughter of lambs. But what do these terms mean? Dr. Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, a professional leader in the field of food value safe at Matís, can answer that.

“Main concepts of risk analysis in the field of food safety / Concept paper on risk analysis in the area of food safety", by Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir at Matís. 

Related material

• Matís' proposal for a micro-slaughter arrangement
• What is a risk assessment?
• Abattoirs would stimulate innovation in agriculture
• Micro-slaughter for innovation stimulation in rural areas of the country
• Blockhain and Matarlandslagið - secure information from farmers to consumers
• Is risk assessment important for value creation in agriculture? 
• The food landscape
• Judgment of the EFTA Court for the import of fresh meat products
• Judgment of the Supreme Court for the import of fresh meat products

The climate marathon will take place in Reykjavík on 26 October. This is the second time that the climate marathon has taken place, but Justine Vanhalst, an expert at Matís, had her way with the first marathon that took place in October last year.

Are you interested in climate issues and want to contribute? 
Take part in a 24-hour hack on climate issues on 26 October. 

The Climathon / Climate Marathon is a 24-hour climate innovation challenge held simultaneously in hundreds of cities around the world. You will work hard for 24 hours. to implement new ideas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution. 

The jury then selects the best solutions and awards a prize.

The Climate Marathon is a competition that is open to everyone. People can register as individuals, groups, students, entrepreneurs and anyone who cares about the climate. An electric but relaxed atmosphere, healthy food, inspired workshops, group discussions and sleeping corners and a number of unexpected events await the participants.

More information can be found at Climathon website and at  Justine Vanhalst.

Fishmeal and fish oil production play an important role in fish processing in Iceland. The processes have changed little in recent decades, but at the same time the global need for protein, in addition to demands for improved utilization of raw materials, increased product quality and reduction of waste materials, has increased rapidly.

A project is currently underway at Matís with the aim of redesigning and the best processes for the production of high-quality proteins for human consumption.

The project is funded by AVS, the fisheries research fund, but Matís' partners in the project are the University of Iceland (UI) and Síldarvinnslan. Project management is at the University of Iceland.

Further information will follow as the project progresses.

Fishmeal and fish oil production has traditionally played a major role in Nordic fish processing. The processes have changed little in recent decades, but at the same time the global need for protein, in addition to demands for improved utilization of raw materials, increased product quality and reduction of waste materials, has increased rapidly.

In light of these changes and the situation that has lasted recently. decade, it is necessary to join hands and breathe life into the production of high quality fishmeal and describe the nutritional benefits obvious from the fact that such products were passed on to feed and food chains.

A project is currently underway to strengthen this production, and the Nordic countries have joined forces to set up a so-called Nordic Quality Council for Fishmeal and Oil. e. Nordic Center of Excellence in Fishmeal and Oil. This will strengthen Nordic co-operation and increase knowledge of the quality characteristics of fishmeal and fish oil.

The intention is to bring Nordic fishmeal production and fish oil to the forefront, thus ensuring the supply of safe and quality fishmeal and fish oil for feed and food production.

Matís employees have become aware of the increased interest in making risk assessments in the context of micro-slaughterhouses, and therefore we would like to explain what risk assessment is.

Risk assessment is an independent scientific analysis of food risk factors. Risk assessment is the basis for economic, political and health-related decisions, including the determination of acceptable risk limits for consumers. 

Risk assessment is a fundamental element of European food law and is used, inter alia, to establish appropriate precautions, educate consumers and food producers, ensure that the necessary research is carried out and support official controls, with the aim of ensuring food quality, safety and hygiene.

Matís and Matvælastofnun have a good collaboration with BfR in Germany, which is one of the world's most respected institutions in the field of risk assessment.

Cod has always been the most valuable species caught within Icelandic jurisdiction. In fact, Icelanders have been at war over cod, but the cod wars were waged with Britain between 1958 and 1976.

A new project is now underway at Matís, which aims to promote the further development of valuable products from cod heads in order to offset the recent market decline in dried cod heads, including the closure of markets. in Nigeria.  

The project will include a detailed mapping of the properties of different parts of the head, taking into account different biological and natural factors as well as processing factors. Develop processes for the isolation of desirable compounds and lay the foundations for further product development of valuable products for human consumption. The results of the project create a basis for purposeful research projects, product development and value creation in the Icelandic marine industry.

The project is a collaborative project of Ísfélag Vestmannaeyjar, HB Grandi, the University of Iceland and Matís and the project received a grant from AVS, a research fund in the fisheries sector.