Category: News

A report has been published from Matís ohf. which is called Undesirable substances in seafood products - results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities in the year 2010.

The report shows the results of measurements of the amount of undesirable substances, organic and inorganic, in Icelandic seafood in 2010 and is part of a continuous monitoring project funded by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and has been ongoing since 2003. In 2010, the following substances were measured in marine products. intended for human consumption as well as products for the fishmeal and flour industries: dioxin, dioxin-like PCBs and pointer PCBs, flame retardants (PBDEs), metals and 12 different types of pesticides (insects and plant toxins). A special effort was made in measurements of flame retardants (PBDE) and metals in 2010 and their concentration was generally low in Icelandic seafood. As in previous years of monitoring, a small amount of undesirable substances in Icelandic seafood was generally measured in 2010 compared to the maximums recognized by European countries. Oil and flour made from blue whiting, however, need to be close to or exceed the permissible limits for certain substances.

The data collected year after year in this project is used to build an increasingly accurate database on the state of Icelandic marine products with regard to pollutants. The report is in English and is available on Matís' website (here) so that it is useful to producers, exporters, the government and others in promoting the safety and wholesomeness of Icelandic fish products.

The results of measurements of fishmeal and fish oil for feed preparation confirm the need to closely monitor the levels of undesirable substances, not least persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins, PCBs and pesticides in these products in the spring. The concentration of the persistent substances depends on the nutritional status of the pelagic fish stocks from which the products are processed and reaches its peak during the spawning season. In addition, the levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs as well as individual pesticides stop exceeding the EU's permissible limits. This is especially true for blue whiting products.

The brochure has also recently been published.Valuable facts about Icelandic seafood” where important information from this monitoring project has been compiled in the 10 most valuable fish species that Icelanders catch. The authors of the report are Vordís Baldursdóttir, Natasa Desnica, Þuríður Ragnarsdóttir and Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir. The project manager is Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir.

Do you want to take part in shaping ways to increase the path of local food in the tourism industry?

Conference and seminar at the country hotel Smyrlabjörg in Suðursveit 26.-27. October 2011

How can local food production promote sustainability in tourism?
How should local food be marketed, what requirements should be set?
Is there a measure of sustainability certification that entrepreneurs can work on, what should it be like?

The conference starts on Wednesday 26 October at 9:30 with lectures. A seminar will be held on Thursday 27 October where the following issues will be discussed in focus groups.

• Origin labeling and marketing of regional foods
• Local sustainability, cooperation between individuals, companies and public bodies, certification of sustainability

Working groups submit a report on the current state of affairs and proposals for improvement.

Participation in the conference is free. Participants receive a special offer for accommodation and dinner at Smyrlabjörg. Accommodation with breakfast ISK 5,500 - dinner ISK 2,800. Bus service available from the airport in Hornafjörður to Smyrlabjörg for those arriving by plane (40 min).

The seminar is part of the Food and Sustainable Tourism project, which is one of RANNÍS 'top projects. The project group consists of Matís, Nýsköpunarmiðstöð Íslands, Atvinnuþróunarfélag Suðurlands, Þróunarfélag Austurlands, Samtök sveitarfélag á Vesturlandi, Rannsóknarsetur HÍ á Hornafjörður og Háskóli Íslands (see more about the project below).

Further information about the conference can be found at: www.matis.is and www.nmi.is

Participate in the development of sustainable ways of local food production and tourism!

Registration takes place here: tinna@nmi.is

Draft agenda

Chair of the symposium: Hjalti Þór Vignisson, Mayor of Hornafjörður

Day 1. (9:30-16:00)

Before noon

•  What is sustainability? Regional sustainability in Iceland, what has been done in Iceland and what has it yielded? Can we learn from examples from abroad? What is the current policy of the authorities? Stefán Gíslason, environmental management specialist, Environice.

• Food and sustainable tourism: Sustainability measurements - results of pilot project presented. Dr. Þorvarður Árnason, director, & Johannes T. Welling, project manager, Research Center of the University of Iceland in Hornafjörður

• Regional specialties from a historical, cultural and artistic point of view, product characteristics and design. Lecturer unconfirmed.

• Regional / local labels - the situation today, vision. Laufey Haraldsdóttir, lecturer, Hólar University, Hólar.

• User attitudes / grassroots - short presentations from several parties about their activities and experiences. Erlendur Pálsson from Sólheimar, Laufey Helgadóttir in Smyrlabjörg and Fanney Björg Sveinsdóttir Home Market Store Höfn.  

After noon

• Sustainable future - A vision for Iceland. Presentation of the Converge project. Dr. Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir, President of the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland

• Slow food. A path to sustainable food production? Ari Þorsteinsson, Slow food.

• Sustainability in tourism, Awake. Elías B. Gíslason, Director of the Development Division, Icelandic Tourist Board

• From musculoskeletal system to industry. Perspective on local food and sustainability. Guðmundur Heiðar Gunnarsson, Production Manager, Skinney-Þinganes.

Day 2. (9:30-16:00)

Focus groups discuss the issues of the previous day. More information later.

The Food and Sustainable Tourism project
The Food and Sustainable Tourism project is working to build up local food production in different areas in the West, South and East of Iceland to promote increased sustainability in tourism. The experience from the project will then be used to transfer to other areas in the country. Through an effort to increase innovation and production, systematic efforts will be made to increase the supply and demand for local food within the tourism industry in each area. Emphasis will be placed on the turnover being better passed on to the communities in question, as economic leakage due to food imports into the areas will be reduced. Thus, the economic sustainability of the tourism industry is greatly increased.

The approach looks at new job opportunities in small-scale food production. It is also based on interdisciplinary and dynamic collaboration between interest groups that have already been established in all areas and a team of experts from universities and research institutes. This is done to offset limited access to specialized knowledge in food product development / design in the regions. With this, the social sustainability of the areas is greatly increased, which will further strengthen tourism in the area with new opportunities in the sale of products that give the tourist the opportunity to experience the country and the nation through local food and creative industries.

It is no less important to point out the increased quality of life of the inhabitants of the areas, which now even have limited access to fresh and healthy food. With increased product processing within the regions, environmental sustainability also increases significantly. In this way, all transport routes are greatly shortened, which reduces the food milage of food both in the area as a whole and within tourism. Furthermore, simplification of distribution reduces waste in the process.

Small-scale product production is based on the premise of sustainable development, where limited production is planned in a green way. The value of such production today is based on looking at the consumer as a co-producer. The product is therefore dependent on meeting the consumer's expectations of wholesomeness and good production practices.

The fisheries conference will be held at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavík 13-14. October 2011 and is entitled ,,From opportunities to income generation". Matís is participating as usual, but Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, will report on new innovative projects in the fishing industry and their results.

The latest version of the program can be downloaded here. The main innovations from the last Fisheries Conference are the presentation of avant-garde ideas and at the same time the best ideas will receive an award at the conference. There will also be a more successful conference booklet where, among other things, statistical information on the Icelandic fishing industry must be found. The conference will feature 36 presentations and seminars will be as follows:

• Icelandic fisheries
• Market opportunities in Europe
• Advanced in fishing technology
• Market areas of the future
• Product development
• Fisheries and the media
• Opportunities abroad
• The European Union and the Icelandic media
• The ocean cluster in Iceland

At the end, there will be summaries from seminars, panel discussions and presentations of avant-garde ideas and an award ceremony.

Further information can be found on the website of Sjávarútvegsráðstefnan ehf, www.sjavarutvegsradstefnan.is.

Matís will be in charge of courses in internal control and the preparation of a quality manual in food companies from the 17th to the 18th. next October

Internal control - 17.10, at 10:00 - 17:00
Internal control is a systematic method of food companies that aims to ensure the safety, quality and hygiene (wholesomeness) of food. All food companies should have internal controls. Internal controls should be able to show what is being done to ensure that the food produced is safe for consumption. In order to be successful, it is important that all employees take an active part in internal control and have an understanding of its purpose, goals and benefits. 

Preparation of a quality manual - 18.10., At 09:00 - 16:00
A quality manual is one of the conditions that manufacturers must meet in order to obtain a production license for their production. Product and production descriptions, hazard analysis and reactions, sampling plans and housing will be covered.
 
The courses are intended for all those who work in food companies or are interested in such!

The price for each course is ISK 25,000 and will be held in Nýheimar in Höfn in Hornafjörður.

It is pointed out that vocational training funds reimburse the cost of holding courses for individuals and companies up to 75%. See more information about vocational training funds and allocation rules here:

www.starfsafl.is – www.landsmennt.is – www.starfsmennt.is

For further information and registration call 858-5136 and vigfus.th.asbjornsson@matis.is

Free access to information about Icelandic meat. A new meat information website was recently launched at www.kjotbokin.is.

It was Sindri Sigurgeirsson, chairman of the National Association of Sheep Farmers, who formally opened the website when he called Matís' headquarters from Holtavörðuheiði, where he was in a tunnel with other people from Borgfjörður. The webbook was introduced
at an open house by Matís, which is the publisher of the meat book.

Online book replaces the old book The meat book, which is a detailed online book about meat, will initially only contain information about lamb, but other types of meat will follow if the publisher's plans work out. The web magazine is intended to replace the old meat book that was published in 1994. The target group of the book is diverse, but it is certain that the new edition
will come in handy in meat processing, at slaughterhouses, students, farmers and not least meat buyers who want to learn about meat products. Access to the meat book is free and it is not planned to sell access to the web in the future. High-quality photos and varied information The new book includes high-quality photos of the meat, information on meat food and where individual muscles are taken from the carcass, the size and weight of the pieces and all their names. You can print out information sheets for each piece and access to a variety of meat-related ingredients, including protein, fat and carbohydrate content. The numbering system used in foreign marketing of lamb covers all pieces, but it makes communication between meat buyers and sellers easier than before.

Easy to upgrade
According to Óli Þórs Hilmarsson, meat industry master at Matís and one of the authors of the book, it will be easy to add material to the webbook as time goes on. "It will open up various connections through the web in the future. In our neighboring countries, such websites are directly linked to the companies that enter various information about their products, including chemical content and nutritional value, "says Óli Þór.

It is Guðjón Þorkelsson, Óli Þór Hilmarsson and Gunnþórunn Einarsdóttir at Matís who have their way and problems with the making of the book, but the project received support from the Sheep Meat Market Council. The web magazine is actually set up like a traditional book on the Internet, but graphic design was in the hands of Port design, the web was programmed by Einar Birgir Einarsson and photographer Odd Stefán took most of the photographs.

For further information Óli Þór Hilmarsson at Matís.

^{The above article first appeared in Bændablaðið on 15 September.}

Icelandic Food and Nutrition Association (MNÍ) announces MNÍ Food Day on Tuesday 18 October at the Hilton Reykjavík Nordica hotel. Food Day is an annual event that has been held since 1993 and is now being held for the nineteenth time. 

Matís takes a big part in the day, but it should be noted that in addition to the board of directors, many of Matís' employees will give presentations. In addition, Matís' marketing manager is on the food day's preparatory committee. The program of Food Day 2011 can be found here.

MNÍ Food Day 2011 is entitled Health-related foods and target foods. The main content of the day this year is product development, production, research and marketing of health-related foods and targeted foods from Icelandic ingredients. There will be fourteen short presentations that provide insight into the topic. Among other things, Icelandic breakfast cereals, fish oil, protein drinks, fish meat sauces, the use of seaweed in food production, health claims on food and vitamin D supplementation of food will be discussed.

Katrín Júlíusdóttir, Minister of Industry, will chair the conference and chair the meeting Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís.

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. Nominations for Fjöregg MNÍ in 2011 can be found on the MNÍ website, www.mni.is. Further information about the nominations is provided by Borghildur Sigurbergsdóttir, borghildurs (at) gmail.com, mobile 896-1302.

Participation in the conference must be announced on the MNÍ website, www.mni.is, but registration ends at 13:00, Monday 17 October. The general participation fee is ISK 4,500, but students only have to pay ISK 3,000. If registration takes place after October 14, the participation fee will increase by ISK 1,000. Conference materials and light refreshments are included in the price, but the program starts at 12:00 to 18:00 and is published on the MNÍ website, where news of the conference will also be published shortly, 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 and nutrition enthusiasts are encouraged to attend.

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

The exhibition FOOD-IN 2011 in the Sports Hall in Akureyri is this coming weekend. Thousands of visitors are expected to the exhibition - a sales exhibition with over forty participants - professional and player competitions in cooking - free admission!

The exhibition FOOD-IN will be held in Akureyri for the fifth time this coming weekend. The exhibition has been held every two years and was last held in 2009. The number of visitors was 12-14 thousand and another one is expected this year. There are more booths than at the last show and the exhibition area is even bigger. As before, admission is free and it is emphasized that this is a sales exhibition, so it is possible to make a good purchase from exhibitors. Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson, Mayor of Akureyri, will formally open the exhibition, which will be open at 11-17 on Saturday and Sunday.

Great variety
It is safe to say that MATUR-INN 2011 is a highlight in Nordic food culture. The exhibition is held by the company Mat úr Eyjafjörður in good collaboration with Þingeyska matarbúrið and Matarkistuna Skagafjörður. Behind these companies are food producers large and small, restaurants, tourism companies, shops and service companies - all parties that have in common that food is involved in their work. About forty people will take part in the exhibition FOOD-IN 2011 and there will be a great variety. 

Fun cooking competitions and autumn market
There will be a competition in cooking in the kitchen area of the exhibition. For example, nationally known individuals will compete in salmon dishes, chefs will compete for the best mackerel dish, bakers will compete in desserts and finally restaurants will compete in flatbread making.

The exhibition will feature exhibition stands for companies and food culture associations, a marketplace where, for example, it will be possible to buy fresh autumn crops and jams of various kinds.

In parallel with the exhibition, there will be a furniture exhibition in the lobby of the Sports Hall, and on Saturday a giant barbecue will be lit outside, where a 24-hour barbecue of beef carcass will begin. It will then be ready on Sunday and will give guests the opportunity to taste the military names.

On Sunday, the company's entrepreneur award Matar from Eyjafjörður will also be presented, but they have been a regular part of the company's exhibitions so far.

On the occasion of the exhibition, eight restaurants in Akureyri will have a special menu this week, where they will each export local ingredients in their own way. It can be said that food and food adventures will be the theme of Eyjafjörður and Norðurland all this week and will culminate this weekend.

Agenda

Saturday, October 1
at 11 - The exhibition opens
at 11:30 - Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson, Mayor of Akureyri, formally opens the exhibition
at 13-14 - Chefs compete for the best mackerel dish
at 15 - Well-known individuals compete in salmon cooking
at 17 - The exhibition closes

Sunday, October 2
11 am - The exhibition opens
at 13 - Bakers compete in dessert making
at 14 - The flatbread competition of the restaurants
at 15 - Auction of merchandise from exhibitors - proceeds go to the Heroes - a family of chronically ill children in the North
at 15:30 - The Entrepreneurship Award of the company Matar úr héraði awarded.
at 17 - The exhibition closesParticipants in FOOD-IN 2011
In booths: 

• Bautinn, Akureyri
• Directly from the farm - producers
• Bread making ISK Jónsson, Akureyri
• Darri - Eyjabiti, Grenivík
• Ektafiskur, Hauganesi
• Greifinn, Akureyri
• The new coffee roaster, Akureyri
• Kexsmiðjan Akureyri
• Kjarnafæði, Akureyri
• Kung Fu, Akureyri
• Laufabrauðssetrið, Akureyri
• Lostæti, Akureyri
• Matarkistan Skagafjjörður, producers and companies in Skagafjörður
• Matís, Akureyri
• MS Akureyri
• Norðlenska, Akureyri
• Purity Herbs, Akureyri
• Strikið, Akureyri
• Urtasmiðjan, Svalbarðsströnd
• The Þingeyjar dining table, producers and companies in Þingeyjarsýsla

In the wine promotion area:

• Brugghúsið Gæðingur, Skagafjörður
• Bruggsmiðjan, Árskógssandur

In the marketplace:

• Júlíus Júlíusson, Dalvík
• Ósk Sigríður Jónsdóttir, Svarfaðardalur
• Reykir II, Fnjóskadalur
• Holt og heiðar ehf., Hallormsstaður

 Furniture exhibition in the lobby:

• The Puff pastry Center
• Mimosa

Further information is provided by Jóhann Ólafur s. 899-9865

Make a short film with your phone or other video camera or create a photo album. You can win a trip to Washington, DC.

You can, among other things: Help prepare food for 30,000 students in schools in Washington, work with skilled instructors, increase your skills as a chef, cook at one of the Nordic embassies in Washington and get food prepared at one of the better Washington City Restaurant.

If you are between 18 and 24 years old and can travel between 21-28. October, you could win all this. More information at www.nordicinnovation.org/is/verkefni/kokkakeppni-buou-til-stuttmynd/

To participate
Make a short film with your phone or other video camera or create a photo album. You should cook a tasty meal from Nordic ingredients, which would be easy to make in school kitchens in the United States. Then it must be possible to access the raw materials easily in the United States. The dish should be healthy, tasty and easy for young people to cook. You should show us the recipe and introduce yourself as you tell us why you should be one of the winners of a trip to Washington.

Applications must be in English or one of the Scandinavian languages
The videos and photographs will be published on the Nordic Innovation Center's website. The jury will evaluate all the applications and choose the five best. The jury will not only focus on the recipe but on the candidates and how they present healthy Nordic food.

Applications must be received by the end of October 3, 2011.

For more information on the competition and applications, contact Elisabeth Smith (e.smith@nordicinnovation.org) at the Nordic Innovation Center.

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 (here)

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 administrator of the project.

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 the Matís report (report 24-11 on the Matís website) the results of the monitoring project for the years 2009 and 2010 are published. 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. The results show changes in the pattern of chlorine organic matter in mussels collected near Hvalstöðin in Hvalfjörður in September 2009, there were no visible changes in the concentration of these substances at the mussel collection site at Hvammsvík in Hvalfjörður or at any other collection site around the country studied in 2009. Important is monitoring these changes in the pattern of concentration of chlorinated organic substances in mussels in the monitoring project in the coming years to see if they are still present. A detailed statistical analysis of the data is in progress, i.e. Scientific methods can be used to estimate the increase or decrease of pollutants in the marine environment in Iceland.

For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir at Matís.

Matís participates in the Fisheries Exhibition in Kópavogur 22.-24. sept. nk. At Matís booth, no. C50, there will be a lot going on, such as the introduction of skyr with bioactive kelp as one of the ingredients and thus all the antioxidant properties that kelp contains, tasty hot smoked mackerel and delicious lobster soup.

Matís' presentation program is as follows:

• Thursday 22 September at 16: 30-17: 30: Hot smoked mackerel
• Friday 23 September at 16: 00-17: 30: Lobster soup from Höfn
• Saturday 24 September at 13: 00-15: 00: Seaweed skins from organic milk and kelp from Breiðafjörður

Do not miss this!

It is worth mentioning that the sea urchin is on its way to the Ecotrophelia Europe finals, as the most promising and eco-friendly innovation idea in the food sector in 2011?

Further information is provided by Matís' marketing manager, Steinar B. Aðalbjörnsson, 858-5111.