Category: News

On the 29th and 30th of November, the annual Laurentic Forum conference will be held, which this time will be held as an online conference.

Laurentic Forum is a collaboration of companies and institutions in Iceland, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ireland and Norway, where the goal is to promote innovation to strengthen fragile settlements in the North.

The Laurentic forum has mainly focused on innovation in the tourism and fisheries industries. Therefore, the conference program is divided into conference days, i.e. On November 29, the focus will be on the tourism industry, and on November 30, it's the turn of the fishing industry. Matís is part of the Laurentic Forum network, which deals with the fishing industry, but in addition to Matís, the Icelandic group includes Sjávarklasinn, Byggðastofnún, and the Knowledge Center in Vestmannaeyju.

You can see the conference program at Laurentic Forum website and there is also registration. Special attention is drawn to Alexandra Leeper's presentation at Sjávarklasan, which will discuss the full utilization of marine products.

Bógkreppa is a hereditary genetic defect in sheep in Iceland. The defect is likely to be recessive, meaning that in order for lambs to be born with the symptoms of rickets, they must receive the defective gene from both parents.

This means that the genetic defect has been hidden for years in the Icelandic treasury and then unexpectedly pops up. Matís is participating in a project about the search for the genetic defect that causes bow crisis. The research project is funded by the Professional Council for Sheep Breeding, led by the University of Iceland's Institute of Pathology in Keldum, and in addition to Matís, RML is involved in the project.

In the Aries directory 2022-2023, you will find an informative article about the genetic defect. The Aries directory can be accessed by clicking the button below, the article is on pages 52-53.

Want to know more? Also read a previous article about Matís' involvement in the search for genetic factors of bow crisis, below:

The original look and logo of Matís was designed when the company was founded in 2007. The logo has served us well over the years, but now it's time to renew the logo and refresh the image of the company in line with new times and screen media. At the same time, we want to take advantage of the opportunity and sharpen our message and uniqueness in value creation in food production, public health and food safety in the country.

With the latest technology and science, we can now estimate what was previously unthinkable. We support companies and organizations in food production with knowledge, research and ingenuity. Our goal is to make the production of consumer goods more sustainable, more economical and healthier, as well as to develop ways to improve food security in the world.

Additives for food production

Matís' new symbol is a drop, a supplement. We make good better, extend the life of food and are food production supplements. Communication with business partners is a matter of our hearts, and the drop can also represent a speech bubble as a sign of that.

ENNEMM advertising agency was responsible for the design of Matís' new look.

The workshop "Why saltfish?" was held on September 28, 2022. The goal of the workshop was to share knowledge from various sources, and look for ways to strengthen the position of saltfish in the domestic market. The workshop was attended by about 40 people, culinary students, chefs, producers, marketers, and last but not least, the Minister of Food, Svandís Svavarsdóttir.

Short presentations were given by Matís experts on the history, culture, effectiveness and dewatering of salted fish. Also about the knowledge and attitude of consumers towards salted fish and its consumption in Iceland. The sensory properties of salted fish were presented, and attendees had the opportunity to taste and compare two types of salted fish and two types of salted fish. MK culinary students then presented their ideas behind salted fish dishes, which were served on the table. After that, we worked in three groups, each of which took on a topic of discussion: "What is salted fish - can we call salted fish salted fish?", "How do we reach the young people?" and "How can the product range be increased?"

The results of the workshop showed that it is important to distinguish between what is truly salted fish on the one hand and salted fish on the other. Salted fish, usually lightly salted or overnight salted, does not have the same characteristics as salted fish, which is finished with salt and brine and then dry-salted even for weeks, which gives this product unique properties such as the characteristic flavor and firm texture, after dewatering.

It seems that there are endless opportunities and opportunities for the saltfish. However, we need to pay better for the way of salted fish to the Icelandic market. Saltfish should really be for us Icelanders, on a par with what parma ham is to Italians, at least.

The workshop was held in the building of the Menntaskól in Kópavogur, in collaboration with Matís, Grím Kokk, Klúbbs Cultreiðslumeista, Menntaskól in Kópavogur and Icelandic saltfish producers. The workshop is part of the project Saltfiskkræsingar (e.g. Trendy Cod) that Matís oversees, and which NORA and AG-Fisk (Arbejdsgruppen for Fiskerisamarbejdet) on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers have provided funding for.

Vinnslustöðin hf and KG Fiskverkun donated salted fish to the workshop.

Find out more about the project Saltfiskkræsingar, by clicking the button below:

Cover photo of saltfish: Lárus Karl Ingvarsson

An interview with Ásta Heiðrúna E. Pétursdóttir, director of public health and food safety at Matís, was published in Bændablaðin last October 20. There, Ásta reports on the preliminary results of the research project "Fibre-rich and healthy skin? " which is sponsored by the Food Fund.

In the project Fiber-rich and healthy skin? By-products of fruits and vegetables are being studied to form skins and peels, which are usually thrown away. Various ways of utilizing these side products are being investigated, along with investigating the role of pesticides. Differences between pesticides in Icelandic and imported vegetables were studied and it was interesting to see that the results showed that there are more pesticides in imported vegetables than in Icelandic ones.

The results give us evidence of an increased use of pesticides, but as Ásta reports in the interview, more samples need to be taken in order to be able to draw conclusions from the results.

The interview in its entirety can be found in the 19th issue of the farmer's newspaper, on page 22, by clicking here

Matís advertises space for rent at Vínlandsleið 12 and 14 in Grafarholt.

The premises are about 30 square meters and are well suited for food production, where products that do not require refrigeration or freezing are worked with.

For more information Jón Haukur Arnarson.