Category: News

Matís' activities seem to be attracting increasing attention, a by-product of that success is the increased number of visitors to Matís. Domestic and foreign parties knock on the door and would like to get to know Matís better.

Matís has been hospitable for the last few days on Vínlandsleið 12. Matís recently got its chairman and managing director Industry Association in a visit to him. Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, received Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir and Almar Guðmundsson. After a presentation of the company's operations, they discussed the results of a successful collaboration over the past ten years and further possibilities for continued collaboration to strengthen the Icelandic economy.

Then a Danish guest came to the yard when seven people from Thisted Municipality in Jutland looked in on Matís. The Danes came to Iceland in the hope that the wealth of ideas and innovation in the Icelandic fisheries sector in recent decades could inspire them to do good deeds in the area of influence in Hanstholm harbor. In addition to Matís, the Danish guests visited Vísi in Grindavík at least.

Finally came Faroese Business Envoy with Matís together with the Minister of Employment and Foreign Affairs of the Faroe Islands last week. In connection with the visit, the development of Matís' co-operation with Faroese parties over the past decade was reviewed, as well as an explanation of the opportunities inherent in the sustainable use of marine resources for increased value creation, improved food security and improved public health. Arnljótur B. Bergsson introduced Matís' operations to the Faroe Islands.

Nordic co-operation is important to Icelanders. The Nordic kitchen is one of the forums for Nordic co-operation, where many herbs are taught. Last week, the Icelandic Farmers' Association reported the Embla Nordic Food Prize where nominations for seven categories are requested until 17 April. Two days later, on April 19, the deadline for submitting project ideas expires the office of the Nordic Council of Ministers  which are based on food for the Nordic youth flowers on the one hand, and on the branding / promotion of Nordic food culture and its values on the other.  

A new Nordic cuisine is under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The aim of the program is to bring the ideology of Nordic cuisine into the homes and institutions of the Nordic countries and to encourage innovation in food product development and local food production. The plan refers to the new Nordic food policy statement from 2004.

The Nordic Farmers' Association has agreed to hold a Nordic food prize entitled Embla. Embla is scheduled to be delivered every other year, the first delivery will be in Denmark in 2017 at the invitation of the Danish farmers' association Landbrug & Fødevarer. The award ceremony will take place at the conference of the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food "Better Food for More People" at Copenhagen Cooking in August nk. Those who put delicacies on the table of all of us. Those who give everything and solidify the traditional. Those who bring the Nordic kitchen to life and enrich the art of gastronomy as it is. To those who bring us Nordic cuisine on a silver platter so we're all hungry for more."

Nordic cuisine, food culture and its value are often held in high esteem internationally.
The Nordic Region is often seen as a single market, in order to continue to promote positive development and to attract more visitors to the Nordic region, continued Nordic co-operation is needed on the development of knowledge and the definition of Nordic food culture in the international arena. Searched for Assignments based on strong Nordic co-operation that can lead to the introduction of new Nordic cuisine.

It is also advertised for Assignments which aims to link joy with food and create knowledge about food and consumption and skills in cooking for children and young people in the Nordic countries, as well as to arouse their interest in Nordic food. 

Interested parties are encouraged to get involved.

Embla's new Nordic food award beats the best in Nordic cuisine: ingredients, food, production methods and the people behind it all. The aim of the prizes is to share knowledge and experience and raise awareness of Nordic food.

On 14 March, the Nordic Farmers 'Association, united under the auspices of the Nordic Farmers' Association (NBC), will launch the first pan-Nordic food prize. The new prize has been named Embla, but according to Nordic mythology, the first woman bore that name.

Embla is intended to promote the pan-Nordic food culture and its characteristics, as well as to increase interest in Nordic food outside the Nordic countries. The prize is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, but the Icelandic Farmers' Association manages Iceland's participation in the competition.

"We have so much good in the Nordic countries. Tasty ingredients and powerful innovation among professionals in the food industry. We all benefit from sharing these stories with each other, "says Andreas Buchhave, consultant at the Danish farmers' association Landbrug & Fødevarer and project manager of the new Nordic Food Awards.

"It is a great strength for Embla, the image of the awards and their goals, that they are led by an organization with a broad appeal to Nordic food," says Mads Frederik Fischer-Møller, Adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Embla will be delivered every other year, for the first time in Copenhagen in August 2017 offered by Landbrug & Fødevarer. At the ceremony, it will be announced where Embla will be delivered next, in 2019.

The award ceremony will take place in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of the Environment and Food's conference, "Better Food for More People" at the Copenhagen Cooking Food Festival.

"In this way, there will be a synergy effect as Embla supports a national event and at the same time benefits from the attention it receives as the emphasis is on food," says Jan Laustsen, CEO of Landbrug & Fødevarer.

Embla is divided into seven categories, with one nominated from each of the Nordic countries. A three-member jury will come from each country that selects competitors and there will also be a joint jury that will decide which of the nominees will win the prize.  

Embla's award categories are seven in number

The website emblafoodaward.com accepts nominations in seven categories which are:

• Nordic Food Craftsman 2017
• Nordic raw material producer 2017
• Nordic Award for Food for Many 2017
• Nordic food journalist 2017
• Nordic food destination 2017
• Nordic Food Entrepreneur 2017
• Nordic Prize for Food for Children and Young People 2017.

You can register participants in Embla from March 14 to April 17, 2017. Registration forms for the seven categories can be found at www.emblafoodaward.com , but there you can also learn more about the prizes and their origins.

For further information, contact Tjörvi Bjarnason, Head of Publishing & Promotion at the Icelandic Farmers' Association, at tjorvi@bondi.is and by phone 862-3412.

On the website you can find footage for the media: http://is.emblafoodaward.com/#5

HB Grandi is a partner of the World Seafood Congress 2017 (#WSC_2017). The conference will take place in Iceland in September and this is the first time the event will take place in the Nordic countries. The conference was initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The WSC is one of the largest forum for value creation in the world in the field of fisheries and food security. The conference will be attended by employees of fishing and fish processing, investors and experts from the management system, the research and education environment from all over the world.

"HB Grandi is a progressive fisheries company that Matís has worked with for a long time in research and innovation projects. We are really pleased to have the company collaborate at the conference, which will provide an opportunity to introduce the Icelandic fishing industry and the innovative power it has, "said Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís when asked about this. 

"It is a true honor for us to support the discussion about food safety and value creation in the fishing industry. For years, HB Grandi has supported the responsible use of fish stocks and participated in development and innovation projects with the aim of making the best use of the marine resources off Iceland. The World Seafood Congress is an important forum for discussion on progress in the entire seafood value chain and on the development of the seafood industry worldwide," said Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, CEO of HB Grandi.

More information about the conference can be found on the website www.wsc2017.com

Today, 13 March 2017, the conference Strandbúnaður 2017. The newly launched Strandbúnaður conference begins. On that occasion, Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson, Director of Implementation and Influence, wrote the following article in Morgunblaðið, which is published today.

Icelanders, like other people on earth, face great challenges. It is uncertain how the struggle with the great challenges may affect our society, well-being and prosperity. The world's population is growing rapidly, it is a fact that places an obligation on humanity to make better use of the raw materials that are processed and produced to the best of its ability in a sustainable way.

Food production is one of the more important tasks that need to be considered when it comes to solving the big challenges. For a long time, less than 5% of the world's total food production has come from oceans and lakes, even though they cover about 70% of the earth's surface. More and more people are now turning their attention to this fact, as it is likely that some of the foreseeable increase in world food production will take place along and off the coasts of continents as well as island nations. Agriculture is bulky in the world's food production and many times more extensive than fishing or exploiting wild fish stocks. Iceland's economic jurisdiction is extensive and it is clear that there are opportunities to produce food within it as well as fishing for wild species. The coastal state of Iceland has opportunities with disciplined and organized development of industries along the country's coasts.

Cultivation of organisms in water is not new, but neither cultivation nor farming has been extensive in Iceland, although Iceland is a leader in charr farming and has been at the forefront of halibut farming. In recent years, there has been a large increase in salmon farming off the coast of Iceland and promising companies in algae cultivation have sprung up. Invertebrate cultivation has flourished and shells have been seen on menus around the country. It is important to work well in developing industries in this country. Industries based on the exploitation of resources on and off the coast of the country can help solve the challenges we face.

Coastal equipment is a synonym for industries related to the utilization of land and / or sea quality in and along the coast of the country, whether it is cultivation or fire.

For the responsible development of the industries that are considered coastal equipment, it is important that there is an open forum for professional and educational debate on the most urgent and important issues. To that end, the conference Strandbúnaður 2017 will be held on 13-14. March at the Grand Hotel. The conference is open to everyone, where the status and development of the most extensive aspects of coastal equipment in Iceland will be reviewed, as well as the state of affairs worldwide. The conference thus supports education, research, policy-making and thus the development of the industry.

Matvælastofnun holds a meeting on the agency's control system at 9-12 on Friday 17 March in Reykjavík. The meeting is open to everyone but is especially intended for food producers that the agency supervises, farmers as well as companies, to review the implementation of supervision, follow-up and publication of results from supervision.

The meeting will discuss the structure and recent changes to the Food Administration's inspection manuals and companies' risk classification. The premises and implementation of inspections and the performance classification of the Food Administration of companies will be reviewed based on the results of inspections. The Agency's procedures for the application of coercive and punitive measures will be presented, as well as external information on the results of inspections and actions by the Food Administration.

Agenda

09:00 - 10:00 Inspection manuals of the Food Administration - Jón Ágúst Gunnlaugsson, MAST
10:00 - 10:25 Corporate risk classification - Jónína Stefánsdóttir, MAST
10:25 - 10:40 Pause
10:40 - 10:55 Performance evaluation of companies - Jón Ágúst Gunnlaugsson, MAST
10:55 - 11:40 Follow-up and application of coercive and punitive measures - Ástfríður Sigurðardóttir, MAST
11:40 - 12:00 Publication of monitoring results - Jón Ágúst Gunnlaugsson, MAST
 
Meeting guests are given the opportunity to ask their questions and participate in discussions. Participants do not have to register and participation is free of charge.
 
The meeting is on Friday 17 March at 9:00 - 12:00 at the Food Agency's Marketing Office at Stórhöfði 23. The entrance to the agency's premises is on the north side (Grafarvogsmegin). Further information can be found on the website Matvælastofnun. 

Related material: Do not get confused! Matís is not Matvís who is not MAST… ..

The position of assistant professor of food science at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland is 100%.

Field of study: 

An applicant with knowledge and experience is sought to strengthen research and teaching in food science with an emphasis on food chemistry, food processing or food microbiology.

Area of work:

• To participate in the development and teaching of basic, master's and doctoral studies in food science.
• To teach and guide food science students.
• To conduct research in the field of food science.
• To participate in the management and development of teaching and research.
• To raise external research grants and take an active part in national and international projects and collaborations.

Educational and qualification requirements:

• Doctoral degree with specialization in food science. The specialization can be in the fields of food chemistry, food biotechnology, food processing or food microbiology.
• Experience in overseeing research projects, clear research emphases and experience in obtaining research grants.
• Successful teaching experience at university level as well as experience in supervising graduate students.
• Excellent English skills.
• Good co-operation skills and agility in human relations.
• Reliability, initiative and independence in working methods, as well as good skills in sharing one's own knowledge.

When hiring, it will be assumed that the person who gets the job fits as well as possible with the circumstances and needs of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition.

The appointment will be for a term of five years with the possibility of indefinite employment after that time, cf. Paragraph 3 Article 31 rules for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.

The provisions of the Act on Public Universities no. 85/2008 and rules for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.

According to the rules of the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, Article 38 the Rector may grant promotion to the position of associate professor or professor in the case of a new appointment if the person in question fulfills those conditions.

Application process:

The application deadline is until March 6, 2017 and applications must be received in electronic form at the e-mail address bmz@hi.is marked HI17010159.

Applicants must enclose with their application a certificate of their academic career and work, a bibliography, a report on scientific work and other work they have done, and a research plan if hired. The application must state which of his or her publications, up to eight in number, the applicant considers to be the most important with regard to the work in question. Applicants only send these publications with an application, or refer to where they are available in electronic form. When more than one author submits a work, applicants must state their contribution to the work. Furthermore, applicants are expected to include reviews of their teaching and management positions, as appropriate. If it is not possible to submit supporting documents with an application in electronic form, they must be submitted in duplicate to the School of Science at the University of Iceland, Sæmundargata 2, 101 Reykjavík. All applicants will be answered and notified of the job placement once a decision has been made. Applications can be valid for six months from the end of the application deadline.

Salaries are according to the wage agreement between the Association of University Teachers and the Minister of Finance.

It is expected that the above work will be provided from 1 August 2017 or by agreement, provided that the work of the committees dealing with the matter will then be completed. Applicants will be informed of the results of the adjudication committee and the selection committee and of the disposition of the job when that decision is available.

For further information:

• Guðjón Þorkelsson, President of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition and Matís employee (gudjont@hi.is / s. 422 5044)
• Auður Ingólfsdóttir, Head of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition (auduring@hi.is / 543 8408).

When recruiting for jobs at the University of Iceland, the university's gender equality plan is taken into account.

The Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition is one of the six faculties of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Iceland. At the faculty, about 120 students study food science and nutrition. Of these, about 50 are graduate students, both in master's and doctoral studies. There are eight full-time academic positions within the faculty, and due to the high average age of food science teachers, a significant renewal of staff is expected in the coming years. Therefore, young researchers are especially encouraged to apply. The faculty is in research and teaching collaboration with the Laboratory of Nutrition (www.rin.hi.is) and Matís ohf (www.matis.is).

Further information about the faculty can be found on the School's website
http://www.hi.is/matvaela_og_naeringarfraedideild/forsida

The conference Strandbúnaður 2017 will be held at the Grand Hotel on 13 and 14 March. . The purpose is to promote professional and informative discussion of coastal equipment and thus support the education, research, development and policy-making of the industries that utilize land and / or sea quality along the coast of the country

The conference will focus on the importance of education for a growing industry. One of eight seminars of the conference is called Education in Strandbúnaður. After all, knowledge and skills are among the most important basic factors that need to be considered and can be utilized in the development of new industries.

Coastal equipment is an industry that grows and thrives by utilizing the knowledge of numerous disciplines. It is important that knowledge is disseminated in an efficient manner to the business community and society so that its utilization is as good as possible. The education of individuals for a variety of jobs related to coastal equipment is the key to increasing the industry's competitiveness. The seminar will present the supply of education in coastal equipment in Iceland, the industry's wishes for its further development will be discussed, as well as individuals' expectations and attitudes towards learning and the working environment. 

Lectures at the seminar on education in Strandbúnaður come from Arnarlaxi, Keynatura, Arctic Fish, Hólar University, The University of Akureyri and University Center of the Westfjords. These parties are considered highly qualified to discuss the status and future vision of education in aquaculture, the interplay between education and the development of coastal equipment and the role of education in aquaculture in strengthening coastal communities. 

In other areas of Strandbúnaður, there are some examples of particularly interesting topics. The cultivation of mussels and especially the wholesomeness of Icelandic mussels is something that is worth highlighting. Algae cultivation and utilization of algae and especially with regard to processing and product development possibilities. The discussion on the future of salmon farming will cover the role of feed production and feed development with regard to the environment.

Interested parties are encouraged to register for the conference here.

Matís and Geitfjárræktarfélag Íslands, expressed their willingness to increase cooperation, with increased value creation, product development and promotion of goat products as a goal earlier this week.

Matís and Geitfjárræktarfélagið believe that increased research in connection with goat breeding, the application of information and biotechnology and the introduction of goats can lay the foundation for a change in thinking about innovation and technological revolution in agriculture in Iceland, increase the production of healthy and nutritious food and at the same time promote food. and by-products that today are generated as waste from the food industry, restaurants and households. 

The goat has been part of the Icelandic bioeconomy since the settlement and is one of the nation's genetic resources. The goat's milk, meat, skins and wool have been used since the settlement and various goat products, such as oatmeal, goat liver and goat land, have been placed in the context of the healing power of living resources.

In recent years, Matís has achieved very good results in joining the International Research and Innovation Fund, in collaboration with Icelandic and foreign companies and institutions. Matís will seek to introduce the Icelandic goat and opportunities for innovation related to it to its partners in Iceland and abroad.

In an era of challenges in the areas of food security, nutritional security and public health and major changes in demographics around the world, it is important to look in a new way at utilizing Iceland's genetic resources and cultural heritage related to agriculture, opportunities in and near urban areas and the use of international technology and marketing. value creation and improved public health. User-centered product and service design, guided by sustainable development, is fundamental in this context.

Geitfjárræktarfélag Íslands was founded in 1991. The association is an interest group of goat breeders in Iceland, but there are a total of more than 1000 winter-fed goats - oats and chickens - in Iceland. The role of the company is to promote the protection and breeding of the Icelandic goat population and to look for ways to improve utilization and increase the value of goat products.

Matís is a powerful knowledge company that engages in diverse research, service and innovation in the food and biotechnology industry, with increased value creation, improved food security and improved public health as a goal.

Today a meeting was held on a new Network for innovation in aquaculture in the Arctic and the Arctic (e. Aquaculture Innovation Network for the Northern Periphery and Arctic (AINNPA)), which aims to improve innovation support for distant aquaculture enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, enabling them to focus on meeting the demand for product and service development.

With the support of the Arctic Program, the AINNPA project brings together experts from the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Scotland. The project is led by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Center (SAIC), which is hosted by Stiling University.

According to Heather Jones, Director of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Center: "Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the sustainable growth of aquaculture, whether in Scotland or elsewhere in the Arctic. On the other hand, for those who run companies in distant places, it is difficult to obtain support and services in the field of innovation. AINNPA addresses these challenges and opportunities facing LMF by sharing guidelines on best practices across the region and by developing new products and services through an integrated support network.

Today's meeting marks the beginning of a six-month preparatory process for mapping current innovation support in the field of aquaculture in the Arctic; by analyzing existing and opportunities on the horizon for LMF, and building co-operation networks around the areas participating in the co-operation.

"We know what we want to achieve with international co-operation - namely, offering small and medium-sized enterprises a stronger support network than they would otherwise have access to, so that they can develop, through innovation, solutions to the challenges facing aquaculture. Now we start the process of agreeing on how we will achieve the desired results. ”Explains Robin Shields Aquaculture Innovation Director and AINNPA Representative at the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Center.

As part of this initial work, the partners seek to communicate with and nominate related participants. "For this initiative to be successful in the long run, the insight of stakeholders is important from the outset," adds Robin. "Examples include regional developers, aquaculture companies' associations and other units that may be helpful in identifying the needs of innovation needs and that, in the end, will be one of the main factors influencing the inclusion and exploitation of AINNPA across the participating areas.

Interested parties associated with aquaculture associations and companies interested in joining AINNPA can contact Jón Árnason or Robin Shields