Category: News

Matís and the Iceland Academy of the Arts recently signed a collaboration agreement. The good co-operation that has taken place so far will therefore be continued.

Matís is the largest research company in the country in the field of food research and food safety. Matís' policy is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, improve public health, ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services in the field of food and biotechnology.

LHÍ is the only university in Iceland with recognition by the authorities in the field of art and the university is therefore a leader in the implementation of academic research in the development of art studies in this country. LHÍ has made it its stated goal to strengthen research in the field of art and is currently working on the preparation of research-related studies at the master's level. This refers to artistic research, which is based on the methods of the various art media in the innovation of knowledge and its dissemination.

This agreement is made by the parties to further strengthen co-operation between them.

The purpose of the contract

• Strengthen the theoretical and practical education of university students in the fields covered by the agreement.
• Increase research in the fields of study covered by the agreement and also be at the forefront and have a professional position in innovation in these fields of study.
• Attract students and scholars internationally.
• Ensure that the quality of the research of the Parties is comparable to that which takes place at the international level.
• Contribute to the development and increase competitiveness of Icelandic food production by establishing collaborative projects between producers, employees and / or students of LHÍ and Matís.
• Apply for grants for innovation and development projects in domestic and foreign competitive funds.
• Utilize opportunities for joint venture of equipment for the benefit of joint projects.
• Increase the number of undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of study of the agreement.

Experts from Matís give good advice on meat and vegetables on the television station ÍNN. This is a cooking show where Icelandic agricultural products are paramount.

Farmers have joined forces with the country's best-known chefs in the making of cooking shows that have been named "Eldum íslenskt". In the episodes, the main emphasis will be on Icelandic ingredients from the countryside and Ramm Icelandic cooking methods. It is the master chef Bjarni G. Kristinsson, head chef at Hótel Saga, who manages the shows, but they are done in close collaboration with ÍNN, the Farmers' Association, Matís and most agricultural associations. The episodes will be a mix of education and cooking and will refer to both traditions and modern methods. Among the chefs involved are Gunnar Karl at Dilli and Hrefna Sætran at the Fish Market as well as experienced people from the Hotel and Restaurant School. In addition, experts from Matís come to the show and inform TV viewers about meat and vegetables, for example how to debone meat. vegetables. The aim is to discuss traditional Icelandic home cooking and demonstrate the unequivocal quality of Icelandic agricultural production.

The episodes will be shown weekly this summer and autumn on the television station ÍNN as well as mbl.is, in addition to appearing on the websites of the agricultural associations as time goes on. The sponsors of the shows are the Chicken Farmers' Association, the Horticultural Farmers' Association, the Horse Farmers' Association, the National Association of Sheep Farmers, the National Association of Cow Farmers, the Icelandic Pig Breeding Association, the Tourism Farmers' Association, Beint frá býli, Hótel Saga and the Farmers' Association.

Óli Þór Hilmarsson and Valur Norðri Gunnlaugsson are Matís' experts in the shows.

A project carried out by Matís is about exploring the basis for establishing fish markets in Iceland for the general public and tourists.

The aim is to encourage the establishment of retail fish markets across the country and thereby strengthen the connection between consumers and seafood.

"The reason why we are starting this project is that fish consumption in Iceland is bad. Surveys have been carried out showing that people aged 15-19 are eating approximately one bite of fish a day and that is naturally just very bad and perhaps the public's access to fish is not particularly good and the knowledge and this dialogue between the fishmonger and the buyer has actually gotten a little lost. It is very important for us as a fishing nation to take this up again and promote this knowledge about fish," said Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, an expert at Matís, but in addition to her, Þóra Valsdóttir from Matís and Theresa Himmer, an architect, are involved in the project.

There has been a lot of interest in the project and everything points to such a market being established in Reykjavík soon. The project is funded by the AVS Fund (www.avs.is) and its results will be published this autumn.

The project manager's field of work must be to build a development center for small-scale food production in Mjólkurstöðin's premises in Egilsstaðir in order to strengthen small-scale production, product development and research on products from agriculture and other food industries.

Areas of work and responsibilities

• to manage the operation of Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands
• to work with small producers in East Iceland on the implementation of ideas for local food
• to work with other Matís experts on the definition and acquisition of research projects
• to participate in the teaching, education and organization of courses related to local food production.

The employment period is for one year. The situation will be reassessed after that time.

Qualification requirements
University education and / or work experience that is useful in the job. Experience in product development. Initiative, independence and diligence in working methods. Agility in human relations and ambition to succeed in work.

The office of Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands is located in Egilsstaðir and it is therefore necessary for the employee in question to be resident in East Iceland.

For further information
Guðjón Þorkelsson, tel. 422 5000. Applications with information about education and work experience, as well as recommendations should be sent to: Matís ohf., Borgartún 21, 105 Reykjavík or to jon.h.arnarson@matis.is.

The application deadline is July 15th.

Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands is a collaborative project of Þróunarfélag Austurlands, Búnaðarsamband Austurlands, milk producers in Hérað, the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, Auðhumla / MS and Matís ohf. to build a development center for small-scale food production in the premises of Mjólkurstöðin in Egilsstaðir.

Matís is a knowledge company that specializes in food and biotechnology. Matís employs almost 100 people in nine places in the country. Matís' role is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic products and the economy, improve public health and ensure food security and sustainable use of the environment through research, innovation and services.

The advertisement in pfd format can be found here.

Further information on Matís' operations and employment opportunities at the company is provided by Jón H. Arnarson, jon.h.arnarson@matis.is.

Matís and Mótás signed a lease agreement for the future Matís housing at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík recently. Friday, June 26th.

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, the then Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, decided on 24 April, after submitting the case to the Government of Iceland, that Matís ohf. will move its operations to new premises by the end of next year.

In accordance with the goal of increasing the number of jobs in the construction industry, the State Construction Agency was commissioned to advertise for rental housing for Matís ohf. which now operates in three locations across the city.

It was then decided to choose the construction company Mótás, which had offered to rent a 3,800 square meter building at Vínlandsleið 12, Reykjavík. The house, which is now fully sealed, is on three floors with a basement, and the landlord will furnish the house and return it completely finished on the outside and inside. The landlord has estimated that the manpower requirement, including derivative work to complete the building in accordance with Matís' building description, is around 200 man-years.

By Act no. 68/2006 on the establishment of Matvælarannsóknir hf. authorized the Althingi to establish a limited company for the operation of the Fisheries Research Institute, Matvælarannsóknir Keldnaholt, cf. a co-operation agreement between the Institute of Technology and the Agricultural University, and the laboratory of the Environment Institute. In the comments on the bill, great emphasis was placed on enabling the company to merge under one roof the activities of the institutions that were being merged.

The company - Matís ohf. - entered into force on 1 January 2007.

Attached are photos from the signature, where you can see members of Matís' board, Matís' CEO and Mótás' managing director signing the agreement.

A major milestone was reached in April when Katrín Hauksdóttir at Matís in Akureyri increased the number of measurements in the field of pesticides from 49 to 62, but pesticides are used in the production of fruit and vegetables to prevent the invasion of insects and other pests.

This is a quarter increase which is a milestone that required a lot of work. This year, the number of substances measured using an accredited method was also increased by 12 and now 27 of these 62 substances are screened for accreditation. Materials added are:
Asefat
Bitertanol
Fenarimol
Fention
Fipronil
Fosmet
Methiocarb
Myclobutanil
Pirimicarb
Pyridaben
Pyrimethanil
Tebuconazole
Tetradifon

The aim is to apply for accreditation for more materials as circumstances allow. The materials added to the accreditation are as follows:
Vinklosolin
Metalaxyl
Malation
Aldrin
Isofenfos
Metadion
Buprofezin
Bromopropylate
Carbofuran
Ditalimfos
Lindan
Cyprodinil

Following this increase, Iceland is closer to meeting EU requirements for pesticide screening in domestic and imported vegetables and fruit. This greatly increases the safety of general consumers and a feather in Matís' cap.

The steering group of the Nordic Council of Ministers on "New Nordic Foods" recently nominated Brynhildi Pálsdóttir for an award in the field of "New Nordic Foods".

Brynhildur and Guðfinna Mjöll Magnúsdóttir and their company Borðið, were nominated from Iceland.

Brynhildur has worked for Matís for a while and has been involved in the "Meeting of farmers and designers".

"Strategy of farmers and designers" is an entrepreneurial project for the benefit of the economy, where two professions are brought together to create a unique product. Great opportunities lie in food production, and with targeted innovation of raw materials, the added value can be multiplied. There is great value in uniqueness and experience, so the aim of the project is to develop regional food products based on the highest quality, traceability and cultural appeal.

Matís has taken an active part in the above projects and is involved in product development.

Further information:
The table (large pdf file)
The table - CV (pdf file)

Matís ohf. recently started work on a large Nordic project, e-REK (e-TRACE), which works with research companies in Norway and Sweden.

The project is for two years and the main goal is to define, develop and implement traceability systems where food safety information is integrated with other real-time traceability information. The main purpose of such a system is to ensure complete traceability and at the same time increase product safety.

The partners of this project have recently developed a system that can ensure product traceability and this system is based on a standard from EPCGlobal and is based on RFID (Radio Frequency IDentificaton) technology.

Matís will be responsible for developing and adapting the traceability system to the typical process of marine products from processing to distributors, as well as defining the safety aspects that are important in such a system. Project manager Matís ohf. in this project is Sveinn Margeirsson, sveinn.margeirsson@matis.is.

An agreement on the establishment and operation of Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands will be signed today at the dairy in Egilsstaðir. Matís will hire an employee for Matvælamiðstöðin.

Þróunarfélag Austurlands, milk producers in Hérað, Búnaðarsamband Austurlands, Auðhumla, the municipality of Fljótdalshérað and Matís are responsible for projects on the development of a development center for small-scale food production.

In recent months, interested parties have been looking for ways to use the space in the Mjólkurstöðin's building in Egilsstaðir as a facility for small-scale food production. Extensive fermentation has taken place and a number of ideas have been discussed. This work has been carried out under the direction of Þróunarfélag Austurlands together with milk producers in Hérað, Búnaðarsamband Austurlands and Auðhumla. Matís and the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað have now joined the project. It has been decided to name the project, East Iceland Food Center.

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 on agricultural products, and to utilize the dairy's space for that purpose.

The space in the dairy at Egilsstaðir that is not used for milk processing today will be used for this purpose. Auðhumla will provide the premises and a special agreement will be made on that as well as the equipment that is available. Partners will work together to ensure the progress of the project so that the facilities in the dairy can be used for development work, teaching, courses and experimental activities in the food industry.

In the near future, Matís will hire an employee for the Food Center and the premises will be prepared for the operation. Matís invests heavily in its operations outside the capital area and in collaboration with companies and stakeholders, but the company operates offices in six locations outside Reykjavík.

Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands will collaborate on product development and research on dairy products, etc.

On Friday 12.6.2009, a work and strategy meeting was held in the cooling projects Kælibót and Chill-on (with connection to the project "Simulation of cooling processes"). 

Extensive experiments have been carried out in the field of cooling catfish from the market. Participants in the project are connected to different links in the chain: raw material handling, processing, transport and marketing. The first results from extensive research on cooling fish were presented. The experiments were performed in the winter of 2008-2009 under real conditions. A comparison has been made of:

• cooling capacity of different ice media and machines for their production
• cooling methods during processing (liquid and erosive cooling)
• different packaging for product packaging
• different transport routes (ships and flights) and the effect of improved temperature control on the transport of chilled products.

In parallel with the presentations, there was an important discussion and exchange of views on the importance of different experimental factors and results. The discussions were used to formulate a strategy for the next experiments that will be carried out this autumn. Then the best methods for each link in the chain will be selected together and the whole chain will be run in one experiment under real conditions. Transport processes have been mapped in terms of time and temperature, and refrigeration simulators will be used to set up those processes for storing products. In this way, the necessary measurements can be performed without the transfer from the sampling site to the laboratory interfering with the results. At the same time, the aim is to export the same products to the market in order to obtain a market participant's assessment of the products.

The participants in the projects Kælibótar and Chill-on are: Brim hf., Eimskip hf., Háskóli Íslands, Icelandair Cargo, Matís ohf., Optimar á Íslandi ehf., Samherji hf., Samskip hf. Skaginn hf. and Opale Seafood.

The projects are funded by AVS, EU, Tækniþróunarsjóður Rannís and Rannsóknarsjóður Háskóli Íslands.