Yesterday, International Food Safety Day was celebrated for the second time. Matís is a leader in chemical and microbiological research on food in Iceland. The company's strength lies in a broad base of capabilities, knowledge and infrastructure as well as connections with industry and the countryside.
Matís' research has been extensive, as the latest and best technology available at any given time has been used in different and varied projects. For example, emphasis has been placed on research into undesirable micro-organisms in food and processing environments, and analytical methods have been developed. Increased understanding of the nature, origin and transmission routes of pathogenic micro-organisms is important to ensure food safety and prevent epidemics and enhance consumer safety. Dissemination of knowledge to the public and the scientific community through the publication of promotional material and articles in journals is an important part of that work.
It is fundamental for Icelandic consumers to be able to trust that the food sold in this country does not threaten public health. It is important to be able to react quickly when food security is threatened. Due to the country's location, it must be ensured that the necessary research and security services are always available. This is especially true for microbiological analyzes where pathogenic micro-organisms can only be detected for a limited time. In the case of an international threat that is simultaneously prevailing in many countries, it is not possible to ensure that foreign laboratories prioritize Icelandic samples.
By implementing European food legislation, Iceland has committed itself to lifting the ban on imports of fresh produce. In order to ensure consumer safety, it is necessary to know the quality of food on the market, both those produced domestically and those imported into the country, including with regard to pathogenic micro-organisms.
Food security has become increasingly important in media coverage around the world in recent years. But there is a lot of contradictory information when it comes to food safety, such as seafood, such as wild fish, but also agricultural products, such as milk and eggs. Negative coverage of Icelandic food can in a short time destroy a positive image that has taken decades to build up and severely hurt Icelanders' export earnings and reduce production and sales in the domestic market. In such circumstances, it is necessary for the government to be able to respond immediately by having high-quality and well-defined scientific data available on undesirable substances and micro-organisms in Icelandic food in order to demonstrate safety and wholesomeness. Of course, the export of seafood and other foodstuffs also depends on the ability to demonstrate wholesomeness with regard to laws, regulations and requirements of buyers.
Reliable data is necessary at all times and therefore requires constant monitoring of the condition of Icelandic food and comparisons with comparable foreign foods sold in Iceland. Icelandic seafood, for example, has long been marketed with an emphasis on purity and wholesomeness. Claims about this, however, are insufficient, it is necessary to support them with reliable data from an independent party. Such data can facilitate the marketing and sale of Icelandic products in demanding foreign markets, as requirements for quality and safety are reflected in product prices.
Matís has submitted a report to the Ministry of Industry and Innovation describing the results of the activities covered by the service agreement with the Ministry in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on food production, sales, distribution and consumption. Under the banner EIT Food and in collaboration with Matís, grants are now being offered for projects to respond to the effects of the epidemic on food production and consumer behavior.
The projects must be effective in the form of marketable products or services this year or early next year and are linked to new supply chains within the food sector, changing consumer behavior, increased food security or improved nutrition.
Matís is looking for Icelandic companies that could take advantage of this opportunity and have an excellent idea (s) for marketable products or services to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. Are you interested or have an idea for such a product or service?
If so, contact Guðmundur Stefánsson (gst@matis.is) or Sæmund Sveinsson (saemundurs@matis.is) for more information on Wednesday, May 20th.
Matís is a public company and runs a public laboratory, for example in pesticide measurements, which serves, among other things, regulatory bodies, ie. Matvælastofnun and Heilbrigðiseftirlit sveitafélaganna, which take samples from food companies for official control.
Matís has a limited contribution from the state as well as being in a competitive market, so Matís is not allowed to subsidize metering services with public funds. The Association of Employers (FA) published a letter on its website on 28 April where the FA protests against tariff increases for inspection visits by the Food Administration and health inspections to food companies. In its response to the FA, Matvælastofnun points out that Matís' tariff has risen and that discounts to public bodies have been abolished. It is more accurate to say that discount terms have been harmonized between all Matís customers and public bodies receive the same terms as companies and individuals in the general market.
The FA takes pesticide measurements as an example of a price increase and points out that the unit price for pesticide analyzes has risen from ISK 81,760 in 2016 to ISK 105,578 earlier this year, or by 29.1% in these four years. Matís' price list has risen annually in line with increases in inputs and wage indices. The last price list increase and harmonization of terms was announced to Matvælastofnun and other public regulators in January 2020, but Matís has always tried to keep price price increases to a minimum to ensure that levies on Icelandic companies are not increased. It should be noted, however, that this increase, taken by the FA as an example, is lower than the increase in the public sector wage index over these four years. Since 2014, Matís has worked diligently to add a number of pesticides that are screened for in order to enable the Food Administration and the Municipal Health Inspectorate to fulfill their obligations and enforce legislation on food safety and consumer protection. The number of pesticides screened for in each sample is today considerably higher than in 2016. Matís screens for 201 pesticides in fruit, vegetables and cereals, of which 192 substances are accredited, compared to 135 pesticides in 2016, of which 96 are accredited.
Regarding changes in discounts to public entities, Matís points out that these are measures that Matís has been working on since 2016, ie. to equalize discount terms for all its customers. Today, all discounts to customers are turnover-related.
"Few people have contributed more to research and innovation in the fisheries sector than Sigurjón Arason, Matís' chief engineer and professor at the University of Iceland," says the author of Morgunblaðið in an interview with Sigurjón on the occasion of his 70th birthday last weekend.
"The strength of the industry is based on several factors, such as the knowledge building that has taken place, how many well-educated people in the fishing industry, and how hard the companies and the scientific community have worked together. The prevailing view within the industry is that it is the common goal of all of us, on behalf of the Icelandic fishing industry, to beat all competitors, "says Sigurjón in the article, among other things.
The interview with Sigurjón can be read in its entirety here.
We at Matís are looking for people to participate in discussion groups for research projects led by Matís experts. The discussions focus on diet, food, and food ingredients, and are part of a new research project funded by the European Union and based on collaboration between parties from several countries.
The purpose of the study is to obtain information about consumers' diets and insights into their attitudes towards various types of food and their ingredients. Participation in the study involves discussing the topic in a group of 4-6 people, and the discussions will be moderated by a Matís employee. In the discussion groups, participants will be asked about their diet and attitudes towards foods and ingredients of various kinds.
The discussions will be held through the Teams teleconferencing equipment. Participants must therefore have a computer or telephone at their disposal. Participants must also have an electronic ID. Assistance will be provided with technical problems via the Internet if necessary. The discussions are expected to last a maximum of two hours. Participants can send 5,000 ISK. commission after the forums.
The discussions will be recorded, both audio and video, and the results will be processed according to a methodology for qualitative research. The names of the participants, or other personal information, will not appear anywhere in the interpretation of the results, reports, articles or other material where the study will be discussed. Data processing will be in accordance with the Privacy Act.
The composition of individuals in the focus groups depends on various predetermined background factors and consumption behavior. If you are interested in participating in the discussion groups, you can click on the link below, which will take you to a short survey where you will be asked about the factors that determine the choice of participants. If you qualify, you will be asked to provide your name, phone number and email address at the end of the survey. You will soon be contacted about whether you are invited to participate, as well as the organization and timing of the discussion groups.
Recently a new one began EIT food project under the name "Smart Tags". The aim of the project is to increase consumer confidence in food and food systems by sharing information about the value chain throughout the product's life cycle. The project aims to share interactive information with consumers and suppliers using so-called smart tags or smart tags. The technology offers numerous possibilities in the field of information provision, as well as the development of products and services. With the advent of technology, the food industry also gets a powerful tool to gain insight into consumer needs and thus facilitates innovation tailored to consumer needs.
International food value chains are often long and complex. This makes it difficult for consumers to trust the information provided by suppliers. Research has shown that the information available on food today is insufficient in the opinion of consumers. Examples of information that consumers are interested in include; Ingredients, origin, product sustainability, fair trade, modes of transport and mode of transport, service life and recycling potential. Information on nutritional value can often be difficult to understand, and products are often decorated with meaningless or unsubstantiated labels such as "sustainable", "natural" and "healthy".
Smart tags can come in a variety of forms. They can be in the form of simple barcodes that can be read with a smartphone, they can also use active convertible ink that can provide relevant real-time information. Smart labels also give consumers the opportunity to exercise restraint through direct contact with manufacturers, suppliers or other stakeholders. The term smart tag is used for tags that can measure environmental variables with, for example, variable flashes, indicators or sensors using software solutions. Bar codes printed with active variable ink change automatically according to environmental variables, for example with changes in temperature or humidity. Under these conditions, the color of the bar code section appears, disappears or changes and can therefore provide updated information to the consumer.
The Smart Tags project is led by VTT in Finland, but other participants are Matís, the University of Reading in the UK, the University of Warsaw in Poland, KU Leuven in Belgium, AZTI in Spain, DouxMatok in Israel and Maspex in Poland. The project is supported by EIT Food, which is part of the European Union.
The innovative solutions that will be developed in the project will be created in close collaboration with consumers and other stakeholders in all participating countries in the project. The project will run through the year 2021 and it will be possible to monitor its progress website of the project and Twitter its account.
AVS recently completed the project "Maximizing the quality of frozen redfish products", which was a joint project of HB Grandi / Brim, Matís and the University of Iceland. The project investigated the effect of cold storage on the quality of dipped products, as well as the effect of the age of the raw material and the season on the quality.
The aim of the project was twofold. First, to study the effect of time and temperature during storage in frost, on the formation of decomposers in baskets. This was done by comparing the effects of temperature changes and handling in the cold store during transport and the effect on the physical and chemical properties as well as the stability of the fat in the basket. Second, to study the effect of the age of the raw material on the quality and stability of storage, i.e. the difference between redfish products processed four and nine days after fishing was examined; as well as whether there was a difference in the time of year the redfish was caught.
The results of the project showed that storage temperature and time affect the physical and chemical properties of redfish, ie. on free fatty acids, TBARS and TVB-N. Seasonal differences also affected the nutritional value and stability of redfish. The light muscle in redfish caught in November contained higher amounts of EPA and DHA than redfish caught in June. Redfish caught in November was not as stable in cold storage, as it contained a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. The light muscle contained higher nutritional value than the dark muscle, leading to a better source of nutrition for public consumption. The dark muscle, however, was sensitive to fat oxidation, which could have a negative effect on the pale muscle. Then even the dark and light muscle need to be separated.
The final report of the project can be accessed here.
Another research project by Matís came to an end recently when the ClimeFish project was completed after four years of successful collaboration with over 20 participants. This large-scale research project was carried out under the umbrella of the European Research and Innovation Program and was intended to examine the effects of climate change on aquaculture and fisheries in Europe, while assessing adaptability, actions and the organization of adaptation work.
Over two dozen different aquaculture and fishing areas (case studies) across Europe were included in the project, using models to predict the likely impact of climate change on production and productivity by 2050. Risk factor analysis and risk assessment were carried out in part of the regions, where economic and social factors were taken into account. Finally, adaptation plans were set up, based on the results of the forecast models and the risk assessment, using a special methodology developed within the project.
Research results presented in the shadow of the coronavirus epidemic in Italy
The ClimeFish project ended with an impressive final conference held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy at the end of February, with the FAO participating in the project. Despite being held in the shadow of the onset of the coronavirus epidemic in Italy, the conference was well attended, where the main results of the project were presented by the project's researchers. Matís supervised the part of the project that concerned the development of methodologies for setting up adaptation plans for aquaculture and the fisheries sector, and it was Jónas R. Viðarsson and Ragnhildur Friðriksdóttir who presented the results on the second day of the conference.
The ClimeFish group in Rome.
The results of seven case studies were presented at the conference, including fish and mussel farming in the sea in Greece and Spain, pond farming in Hungary, fishing in Lake Garda in Italy, pelagic fishing in the Northeast Atlantic and demersal fishing in the west of Scotland. The effects of climate change on various aspects of production according to model calculations were presented, including effects on the growth rate of farmed species, the distribution and migration patterns of commercial stocks, fishing mortality, food supply and the likelihood of eutrophication of nutrients and algae flowers. It stated, among other things, that models indicate a slight increase in the biomass of the spawning stock of mackerel by the year 2050 in the Northeast Atlantic, but a decrease of 8-15% in Norwegian-Icelandic spawning herring during the same period. In addition, the models showed a slight shift in the distribution of pelagic stocks to the southwest, but it is likely that such a change will further increase the level of complexity that has arisen in coastal states' negotiations on the division of stocks.
Risks and opportunities due to climate change
The main results of the risk assessment were also presented, but the risk assessment also took into account the positive effects of climate change on the sector in question, but in many cases models showed a positive effect of temperature increase on production capacity. In addition to presenting the results of each region's risk assessment, there were various risks due to climate change that proved to be common in each sector. It is worth mentioning that a common risk due to climate change for fishing in the sea was changes in catch composition, either due to relocation to the distribution area or changes in stock size. Other risks that proved common in fishing in the sea included changes in growth rate and recruitment, increased distance to fishing grounds and damage to fishing gear and other infrastructure due to increased weather intrusion. Last but not least, the increased complexity of quota allocation was considered a likely consequence of climate change in fisheries. Common effects of climate change in fishing and freshwater fishing included changes in food supply, recruitment and declines, an increase in harmful algae blooms, diseases and invasive species, access to fresh water and not least an increase in production costs due to the aforementioned effects. In aquaculture in the sea, the main risks were changes in growth rate, increased variability in size, shifts in growing seasons, increased declines and changed farming conditions that can lead to increased incidence of diseases and parasites, and not least, increased production costs. Areas that are now considered ideal areas for aquaculture can also change for the worse, with the result that aquaculture areas change with the associated increased level of complexity due to the allocation of fishing and aquaculture areas.
Posters showing the main findings of the ClimeFish case study.
Various adaptation measures were presented at the conference as part of the climate change adaptation plans developed for each region. These adaptation plans were compiled according to a methodology developed within the project, which took into account the results of forecasting models for the likely effects of climate change and the risk factors that were most likely to have the greatest impact. Common adaptation measures in fisheries at sea included a review of the quota division system, the development of more persistent fishing gear with increased selectivity and a stronger infrastructure, a change of emphasis in marketing and measures towards increased safety and control of infrastructure. In aquaculture in sea and freshwater, measures such as increased control of various production factors (such as oxygen, temperature, reductions and reductions), increased emphasis on breeding, development of more durable infrastructure, development of automatic feeding and cleaning equipment and improved ocean and coastal zoning.
Matís intends to use the results for continued work in Iceland
All presentations from the conference in Rome can be found on the project's website, www.ClimeFish.eu. There you can also find a link to a website where all the main results have been summarized for each fishing and farming area, with maps and interactive information. Matís is now aiming for further work in this field and intends to use the methodology developed within the ClimeFish project to examine the effects of climate change on the Icelandic fisheries and aquaculture, assess the need for adaptation and possible adaptation measures, but little work has been done in this field in Iceland. . It is hoped that the important experience gained within the ClimeFish project in assessing the need for adaptation and desirable adaptation measures in fisheries and aquaculture across Europe can be used to examine similar aspects in Iceland.
In the discussion report of the Icelandic Climate Council from last January. states, among other things, that there is a need for education for the public and stakeholders about what it really means to adapt to climate change and what the manifestation of such work is. This needs to take place within each sector and Ragnhildur will lead a special seminar at the Fisheries Conference next November. on the effects of climate change on the fisheries sector and adaptation to them. This seminar will, among other things, seek to shed light on the possible effects of climate change on the Icelandic fisheries sector from all angles (biological, economic and social impacts), how the industry will have to adapt to changing landscapes, what such work would entail, what neighboring countries have been doing in this regard and what risks and opportunities are involved in such a journey.
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