Category: News

Iceland wants to responsibly address the problem of, if no action is taken, on climate issues, but in this context it is worth mentioning that Iceland became a party to the Paris Agreement before the end of 2015.

It is important to take advantage of the opportunities that exist to reduce the negative impact on the environment from our activities. In the value chains of seafood, much remains to be done regarding improved environmental impact from fishing and processing. Part of the improved effect of seafood processing is the electrification of fishmeal production in Iceland, but important steps have recently been taken in this area.

As reported in the run-up to the spring meeting of the Icelandic Fishmeal Producers' Association (FÍF), the company and Landsvirkjun have joined forces to promote the increased use of renewable energy in the fishmeal industry, as stated in a letter of intent from Jón Már Jónsson, Chairman of FÍF and Hörður Arnarson, CEO of Landsvirkjun. As is often the case in Icelandic society, the fish story often flies.

At an open meeting of the Marine Center of Excellence on sustainable utilization and protection of the ocean on climate issues - challenges and opportunities in the fisheries sector, on Thursday 6 April, the Minister for the Environment, Björt Ólafsdóttir, addressed the above-mentioned plans in opening remarks.

"A good example of success in climate change at the initiative of the business community is the electrification of fishmeal factories. There, the industry itself took the initiative to switch from oil to electricity. Everyone will agree on its excellence, in addition to the climate benefits, air pollution will be reduced and working conditions will improve with electrification. However, there have been glimmers of hope due to rising electricity prices. I therefore welcome the recent declaration of intent by Landsvirkjun and the Association of Icelandic Fishmeal Producers to increase the share of renewable energy in fishmeal production. ”

At the meeting, general satisfaction with the above-mentioned plans was revealed. Hörður Arnarson stated that in order for Landsvirkjun and FÍF to agree on the above-mentioned declaration of intent, a mutual understanding of each party's operations and operating environment was required. Hörður mentioned that fishmeal factories were a technically demanding business partner due to the nature of the operation and uncertainty.

Hörður also said that Matís' involvement had contributed to the conclusion that was reached in the end.

This is just one example of how, through concerted action, we can succeed in these matters as well as others and influence developments.

In this context, it can be pointed out that Landsvirkjun's annual meeting will take place today, Wednesday 26 April at 14:00 at Hilton Reykjavík Nordica.

#lvarsfundur

How do Icelandic entrepreneurs develop their ideas and spread them around the world? Matís expert with a talk on intellectual property rights.

The Icelandic Patent Office offers a breakfast meeting on the occasion of International Intellectual Property Day. The breakfast meeting will be held in the Nordic House on 28 April from 8:45 to 10. Admission to the meeting is free but meeting guests are asked to send confirmation of participation at postur@els.is.

See more on the website The Patent Office.

The March for Science takes place in the center of Reykjavík on Earth Day, Saturday 22 April at 13. The aim of the march is to show solidarity with scientists and at the same time celebrate science as an important pillar in a democratic society. A meeting will be held in Iðnó after the walk where the dangers to scientific work and scientists will be discussed.

The idea for the Science Walk was sparked by scientists and science enthusiasts in the United States at the end of January, but will be held in support of science in Washington DC on April 22. The idea spread around the world and an international movement was created that will stand for similar tunnels in many countries. In Iceland, scientists and science enthusiasts are leading the march. 

The movement's goal is, among other things, to draw attention to science as one of the pillars of a democratic society that serves the common interests of nations and promotes, among other things, informed decisions in the public interest.

The scientific process takes place in the shadow of the changes that have taken place in the environment of scientists and the scientific stance in decision-making in the United States since the Donald Trump administration took over in that country in January. The policies of the new authorities will have far-reaching implications around the world, limiting the ability of scientists to conduct research and share their knowledge and discoveries. Therefore, we face a possible future where people not only disregard scientific knowledge but try to completely eliminate it. 

Science is more widespread than in the United States. In Iceland, there is a financial plan under the auspices of the government for the next five years, which assumes that the university system will continue to be short of funds and cuts in competitive funds next year. A number of academics and scientists have also been laid off from public universities in Denmark.

The purpose of the Science Walk is also to celebrate science, the role it plays in the lives of all of us, and to emphasize the need to respect and encourage research that contributes to our greater understanding of the world. That is why we need to protect science. 

Science enthusiasts of all ages are encouraged to attend the walk. We will gather at Skólavörðuholt by the statue of Leifur Eiríksson from where we will walk down Skólavörðustígur and Bankastræti, along Austurstræti, over Austurvöllur and to Iðnó. There will be a panel discussion starting with short presentations from scientists, who will discuss the dangers facing science in the United States and beyond and its impact on the outside world.

Further information about the march can be found on her Facebook page in Iceland: https://www.facebook.com/events/608584169266237/

and the website of the international movement: https://www.marchforscience.com/

It is important to respect nature by utilizing wild species in a sustainable way. It is sensible to respect the raw material by utilizing what is extracted from the sea, making the most of the catch. Society is also respected by making the most of what is taken for processing.
The utilization of the fish caught has long been discussed. The emphasis has been on quality and the emphasis on quantity has diminished. Responsible management of marine resources has far-reaching positive consequences. Icelanders' access to marine resources has improved significantly and is now considered a model. Efforts are being made to handle Icelandic seafood. 

Matís has, along Association of companies in the fishing industry (SFS), Hampidjan and Marel, be an active participant in DiscardLess the project led by the Danish University of Technology DTU from the beginning (March 2015). The project is intended to facilitate the implementation of the discard ban that is being implemented within the European fishing fleet. European leaders and other stakeholders look to Iceland and other countries that have experience of working under a ban on eviction, and therefore Iceland's contribution is important in the project, in addition to which Matís leads one work package and has a key role in several other work packages. 

Among the measures taken by the Icelandic government with a view to curbing discards are flexibility in the transfer of catch quotas, the authorization to land by-catches outside catch quotas where the majority of catch value goes to the Fisheries Project Fund, rules on the proportion of heads of land processed by vessels in accordance with the cargo space of the popular vessels, such as the rules for landing grayling and obligations on the landing of cod liver, saithe, ling, anglerfish and anglerfish as well as cod and saithe roe (for grayling fishing). Increased emphasis on the utilization of catch for value creation has led to liver being taken into account when dividing catch value according to Art. share exchange system.

From March 6 to 10, the annual meeting of the DiscardLess project took place in Rome. The meeting in Rome was second annual meeting in DiscardLess and he marks that the project is now half over. From Matís, Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson and Kristinn Ólafsson took part in the meeting, which was considered to be extremely successful. The meeting was held at headquarters FAO and was attended by 60 participants and about 50 stakeholders who were involved in the meeting agenda in various ways. Iceland had its representative in the group of stakeholders, Kristján Þórarinsson from SFS, who represented the Icelandic fishing industry at the meeting and spoke on behalf of fishing companies that have operated under a discard ban for more than three decades. Kristján gave an interesting speech that attracted a lot of attention, where he explained the effects of the discard ban on the Icelandic fishing industry. What about a somewhat different tone than had been heard from his colleagues in Europe, who had complained a lot about the ban. Kristján argued that the ban was a great step forward for the Icelandic fishing industry and that it was in fact the duty of those who are trusted with natural resources to take good care of it.

Jónas went over some of the most important points that can be learned from the Icelanders' experience of the discard ban, almost four decades of tireless efforts to improve access to marine resources and increased sustainability. Jónas focused on the issues that are easily transferable and can be utilized in diverse fisheries across the coasts of European countries. Jónas also showed the development that has taken place off the coast of Iceland in the case of haddock. As well as proposals for improved facilities on board fishing vessels in the Bay of Biscay so that crews can make the catch and bring all the catch ashore.

Here is a very short video that refers to Icelanders' utilization of marine resources.

For further information Jónas R. Viðarsson professional leader in the Safe Food Chain.

Matís and the Fisheries Research Institute before that have been partners in teaching at the United Nations University's School of Fisheries, UNU-FTP, from the beginning of the school's activities in 1998.

"The program emphasizes practical knowledge and experience, and students work closely with Icelandic instructors in project work and career presentations, which take up more than half of the six months that the program lasts. Each year, special studies are offered in 3-4 tracks, but the special studies last 4-5 months. Matís is in charge of teaching on a quality course, and there are between 5 and 10 students on that course. Every year, 15-20 Matís experts come for teaching and project instructions", says Heiða Pálmadóttir, subject manager at Matís.

It can be quite a puzzle to put together the program for the special course, "first there are lectures for 6 weeks and various people come and not just experts from Matís, but people from far and wide from the Icelandic fishing industry and related sectors such as transport and packaging. There are visits where companies welcome students, these are fun and informative visits for students and no less for accompanying persons. Fun discussions are created more during informal visits than when sitting in a lecture on the subject. I myself have found it fun and informative to go on these visits," says Heiða Pálmadóttir, who has been in charge of the classes for many years.

Benefits of the UNU-FTP school from the collaboration:

• Matís has a wide range of specialists with long experience in research and services in the fishing industry
• Matís' experts have good connections with the Icelandic fishing industry due to the small size of the country, from fishing to export and consumption.
• Matís' specialists collaborate in many ways with Icelandic universities and are connected to education in both undergraduate and graduate studies and form a bridge between industry and universities in Iceland.

Matís benefits from the collaboration:

• Matís contributes to development aid
• Matís' experts maintain links with the fishing industry and the fishing industry and preserve their basic knowledge in that field
• Creates new opportunities for increased projects in the international market

Students work on their final projects at Matís and this creates a connection with students who do not break up. Many return to further studies in Iceland, although some have entered doctoral and master's studies in recent years. By staying in Iceland for so long, a great and lasting connection is created between people. This has given rise to long-term projects and friendships.

"I have been in contact with students from SriLanka, he is setting up a quality system and sought advice on the implementation of individual measurements such as fish quality measurements and further explanations of methodology - this can be done via the Internet and takes little time for us to serve. Another example is a student in Kenya who has been in contact for fatty acid analysis, but she is particularly interested in increasing fish oil consumption, especially in young children and their mothers. Undeniably, one thinks of one's students when disaster strikes their nations, and one never knows what will happen to them, especially if the relationship is not stable. It was also a strong experience to receive students from North Korea and Cuba while the situation was at its worst," says Heiða.

"All of these are well-educated people in the beginning and extremely interested in learning and familiarizing themselves as best as possible with what we have to offer," says Heiða in conclusion.

A project is currently underway at Matís, funded by AVS and the Rannís Technology Development Fund, which aims to promote further processing of mackerel and thereby increase its value.

Until now, it has been most common to export mackerel intended for human consumption, whole frozen to China, for example, where it has been hand-filleted and further processed into valuable products. Such an implementation is expensive and environmentally friendly and means that less value is left in the Icelandic economy. In addition, filleting in Iceland enables companies to utilize what is generated by filleting into other valuable products, such as cosmetics or food supplements. Therefore, it is the competition of Icelandic companies in the fishing industry to find a way to fillet mackerel in this country.

Mackerel, like many other seafood, is a delicate raw material and if you want to get the most value from mackerel fishing, you have to pay close attention to all handling of the catch, from the fish to the stomach. When mackerel is off the coast of Iceland, it is much more sensitive than, for example, when it is west of Norway, it is both more redfish and the fish is looser and more difficult to process.

Matís also participates in a project where Icelanders, Norwegians and Faroese work together on processes that could be used in machine filleting of mackerel. This research was then continued in collaboration between Síldarvinnslan in Neskaupstaður and Matís, and then the challenges that accompany mackerel when fishing in Iceland are addressed.

The aim of the project is, among other things, to assess whether mackerel is suitable for fillet products when caught off the coast of Iceland. The shelf life of frozen fillets packaged in different ways and how to ensure a shelf life of at least 12 months will be investigated. The project will deliver new knowledge to control the quality of final products.

For further information dr. Magnea G.Karlsdóttir at Matís.

The Ecotrophelia competition took place on Wednesday and prizes were awarded yesterday Thursday at the conference "Knowledge and skills in the food sector" held by the co-operation forum Matvælalandið Ísland.

The winning idea came from Hildur Inga Sveinsdóttir, Margrét Árna Vilhjálmsdóttir, Mariu Katrina Naumovskaya and Málfríður Bjarnadóttir. The idea was the product "Mauk" which is made from underutilized raw materials. The aim of the product's production was to address one of the biggest problems in the food industry, food waste. Puree is intended as a marinade for chicken and white fish, but can also be used as a base in soups, sauces or stews. The mainstay of the product are tomatoes and carrots, both of which are grown in Iceland on a large scale and are an enormous amount that is wasted. The reason is, among other things, high appearance requirements from retailers and the consumer himself.

The winners aim to further develop the product for the European Ecotrophelia competition, which will be held in London at the end of November.

For further information, contact Málfríður and Hildur Inga at Matís.

World Seafood Congress (WSC2017) takes place in Iceland 10.-13. september nk. Preparations are going well and a number of people have already registered for the conference which will take place in Harpa. Very interesting speakers have also announced their arrival.

The WSC is one of the world's largest forum for value creation in the fisheries and food security sectors, bringing people from all parts of the seafood value chain to the table. The conference will be attended by employees of fishing and fish processing, investors and people from the institutional and educational environment around the world, not least from developing countries.

Icelandic companies have been diligent in registering, as this is an excellent opportunity for the Icelandic fishing industry to present itself even better. It should also be noted that those who register for WSC2017 get free access to The Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition which opens shortly after the WSC, at noon on 13 September.

Registration fees are at a special discount until 1 May.

#WSC_2017 #icefishevent #iceland

A co-operation forum on Matvælalandið Ísland will hold a conference at Hótel Saga on Thursday 6 April, where ways to strengthen knowledge and skills within the food industry will be discussed. Since its establishment, Matís has emphasized close co-operation with stakeholders on the development of food industries in Iceland with the aim of increasing value creation, improving food security and public health. Matís is a proud participant in the co-operation platform Matvælalandið Ísland.  

11.30     Lunch refreshment in collaboration with the grill's master chefs
12.00     Presentation and presentation of the Ecotrophelia Ísland award. Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture
Technology revolutionizes the food industry - Hörður Kristinsson, Director of Research and Innovation Matís

New methods of communicating education to employees 
Overheating training - how do I reach employees?  - Hlíf Böðvarsdóttir, Managing Director of Securitas' Human Resources Division
New ways of disseminating teaching material - Hróbjartur Árnason, lecturer at the School of Education at the University of Iceland
Workplace learning and education in Icelandair hotels - Erla Ósk Ásgeirsdóttir, Director of Personnel and Quality at Icelandair Hotels
Fisheries education network - Hallveig Ólafsdóttir, economist at SFS

Pause

Experiences from companies
Quality, safety and profitability in production - Bára Eyfjörð Heimisdóttir, Quality Manager at Norðlenski
Who buys our fish, are we on the right track? Klemenz Sæmundsson and Ásdís Vilborg Pálsdóttir, project managers at the Icelandic School of Fisheries  
Vocational training program - Aðalheiður Héðinsdóttir, Chairman of the Board of Kaffitár
Advice to farmers - New challenges in a changing environment - Vignir Sigurðsson, Director of the Agricultural Advisory Center  

Panel discussion with the participation of young people from various disciplines.
Lilja Rut Traustadóttir, Quality Manager of Quality Baking
Viktor Örn Andrésson, chef, 3rd place in Bocuse d'Or 2017
Einar Freyr Elínarson, chairman of the Young Farmers' Association and board member of the Agricultural Advisory Center
Eyrún Sif Skúladóttir, consultant at Wise
Anna Fríða Gísladóttir, Dominos Marketing Manager

16:00     Conference closing

Presenter and conference director: Pétur H. Pálsson, managing director Vísis 

Matís issues the following announcement regarding the FA report "Supervision fees for the economy" where, among other things, Matís' tariff is discussed in the context of food safety supervision. The report criticizes the fact that it is not possible to access Matís 'comprehensive tariff, either through direct communication or on Matís' website.

We welcome an open discussion on food safety monitoring in Iceland and would like to point out the following in this context:

Matís is a research company which, like other research companies in Iceland, serves public regulators (Matvælastofnun and regional health surveillance) and private parties regarding measurements and research. Matís has built up an extensive infrastructure in the field of chemical, microbial and genetic measurements of food and environmental samples in Iceland with a view to serving food producers and the administration of food safety as well as possible. This structure contributes to improved food security for consumers and the production of healthy foods.

Matís 'pricing is based on the actual cost of measurements and Matís' laboratory is accredited. The cost of maintaining accreditation is part of the price of measurements at Matís, together with depreciation costs, specialized maintenance, material costs, staff time, etc. Matís receives samples every working day, but certain measurements, especially microbiological measurements, require a certain time frame, which means that work must in some cases be carried out on weekends.

We offer our customers measurements and work with them to keep costs to a minimum, for example by emphasizing that the organization of sampling is suitable for the organization of measurements. The number of samples is very important in this context and must be taken into account, among other things, the timing of measurements and access to research equipment. The publication of some kind of public price list would be conducive to reducing efficiency and flexibility and would not serve the interests of our customers.

Iceland is in international competition in food production. Matís is in an international competition for measurements. Our competitors have access to multiple samples compared to Icelandic conditions. This offers a simple price list, where it is assumed that samples go to the end of the queue when they arrive. Priority is paid separately. The size of food production in Iceland does not allow such an arrangement. That is why investing in infrastructure and human resources in Matís laboratories is all the more important. In this way, food production and tourism are supported and the export interests of the nation's key industries are secured, food security in Iceland is increased, the response time is shortened and the value creation of food producers is strengthened.

Special notes:

Pp. 14: Regarding the increase in the "sampling fee" from ISK 61,320 to ISK 81,760. It is assumed that this refers to pesticide measurements in fruit and vegetables. In 2014, an extensive development took place in the field of pesticide measurements at Matís, where the number of substances measured was increased from approx. 60 up to 135 and today almost 190 substances are measured. This is done to meet the requirements set out in Icelandic and European food legislation regarding the maximum levels of pesticides in these products. The reason for the increase was the increase in the number of substances, which is less than the relative increase in the number of compounds.

Pp. 21: Matís' price list is not published in the required manner. Matís is in competition on the free market. Customers look for offers and conduct their business according to those offers. Matís always makes an offer for each and every customer with the aim of optimizing the customer's costs by streamlining Matís' work, for example based on the timing of measurements and the appropriate organizational sampling. Public bodies, the Food Administration and regional health inspections, which submit official inspection samples, organize sampling in collaboration with Matís with the aim of minimizing the costs of inspectors. Price increases for measurements are kept to a minimum, for example, increases in most recent years have been much lower than increases in wages and other costs of measurements. 

Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís

Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, Head of Measurement Services and Infrastructure

For further information, please contact Hrönn Ólína Jörundsdóttir, hronn.o.jorundsdottir@matis.is