Category: Reports

Reports

Niðurstöður sívirkrar vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í sjávarfangi úr auðlindinni 2024 / Undesirable substances in seafood – results from the Icelandic marine monitoring activities in the year 2024

Published:

09/01/2025

Authors:

Rebecca Sim, Julija Igorsdóttir, Maja Radujko, Natasa Desnica

Supported by:

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries

Contact

Rebecca Sim

Specialist

rebecca@matis.is

Í þessari skýrslu eru teknar saman niðurstöður vöktunar á óæskilegum efnum í ætum hluta sjávarfangs 2024. Vöktunin hófst árið 2003 fyrir tilstuðlan þáverandi Sjávarútvegsráðuneytis, núverandi Matvælaráðuneytið, og sá Matís ohf. um að safna gögnum og útgáfu á skýrslum vegna þessarar kerfisbundnu vöktunar á tímabilinu 2003-2012. Vegna skorts á fjármagni í þetta vöktunarverkefni var gert hlé á þessari mikilvægu gagnasöfnun sem og útgáfu niðurstaðna á tímabilinu 2013-2016. Verkefnið hófst aftur í mars 2017 en vegna fjárskorts nær það nú eingöngu yfir vöktun á óæskilegum efnum í ætum hluta sjávarfangs úr auðlindinni sem ætlað er til manneldis, en ekki fiskimjöl og lýsi fyrir fóður. Af sömu ástæðu eru ekki lengur gerðar efnagreiningar á PAH og PBDE efnum.

Markmiðið með verkefninu er að sýna fram á stöðu íslenskra sjávarafurða m.t.t. öryggi og heilnæmis og hægt að nýta gögnin við gerð áhættumats á matvælum til að tryggja hagsmuni neytenda og lýðheilsu. Verkefnið byggir upp þekkingargrunn um magn óæskilegra efna í efnahagslega mikilvægum tegundum og sjávarafurðum, það er skilgreint sem langtímaverkefni þar sem útvíkkun og endurskoðun er stöðugt nauðsynleg.

Almennt voru niðurstöðurnar sem fengust 2024 í samræmi við fyrri niðurstöður frá árunum 2003 til 2012 sem og 2017 til 2023. Niðurstöðurnar sýndu að íslenskar sjávarafurðir innihalda óverulegt magn þrávirkra lífrænna efna s.s. díoxín, PCB og varnarefni. í þessari skýrslu voru hámarksgildi Evrópusambandsins (ESB) fyrir díoxín, díoxínlík PCB (DL-PCB) og ekki díoxínlík PCB (NDL-PCB) í matvælum samkvæmt reglugerð nr. 2023/915 notuð til að meta hvernig íslenskar sjávarafurðir standast kröfur ESB. Niðurstöður ársins 2024 sýna að öll sýni af sjávarafurðum til manneldis voru undir hámarksgildum ESB fyrir þrávirk lífræn efni og þungmálma. Þá reyndist styrkur svokallaðra ICES6-PCB efna vera lágur í ætum hluta sjávarfangs, miðað við hámarksgildi ESB samkvæmt reglugerð nr. 2023/915. Sömuleiðis sýndu niðurstöðurnar að styrkur þungmálma, t.d. kadmíum (Cd), blý (Pb) og kvikasilfur (Hg) í íslenskum sjávarafurðum var alltaf undir hámarksgildum ESB.
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This report summarises the results obtained in 2024 for the screening of various undesirable substances in the edible part of Icelandic marine catches.

The main aim of this project is to gather data and evaluate the status of Icelandic seafood products in terms of undesirable substances and the data can be utilised to estimate the exposure of consumers to these substances from Icelandic seafood and risks related to public health. The surveillance programme began in 2003 and was carried out for ten consecutive years before it was interrupted in 2013. The project was revived in March 2017 to fill in knowledge gaps regarding the level of undesirable substances in economically important marine catches for Icelandic export. Due to financial limitations the monitoring now only covers screening for undesirable substances in the edible portion of marine catches for human consumption and not feed or feed components. The limited financial resources also required the analysis of PAHs and PBDEs to be excluded from the monitoring, providing somewhat more limited information than before. However, it is considered a long-term project where extension and revision are constantly necessary.

In general, the results obtained in 2024 were in agreement with previous results on undesirable substances in the edible part of marine catches obtained in the monitoring years 2003 to 2012 and 2017 to 2023.

In this report from the monitoring programme, the maximum levels for dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs (Commission Regulation 2023/915) were used to evaluate how Icelandic seafood products measure up to limits currently in effect.

The results show that in regard to the maximum levels set in the regulation, the edible parts of Icelandic seafood products contain negligible amounts of dioxins, dioxin like and non-dioxin-like PCBs. In fact, all samples of seafood analysed in 2024 were below EC maximum levels.

Furthermore, the concentration of ICES-6-PCBs was found to be low in the edible part of the marine catches, compared to the maximum limits set by the EU (Commission Regulation 2023/915). The results also revealed that the concentration of toxic trace elements, i.e., cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) in the edible part of marine catches were below the relevant maximum limits set by the EU in all samples.

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Reports

Kryddjurtir – Eiginleikar og áhrif á geymsluþol matvæla / Herbs – Properties and effects on shelf-life of foods

Published:

09/12/2024

Authors:

Ólafur Reykdal, Óli Þór Hilmarsson, Léhna Labat, Þóra Valsdóttir, Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir

Supported by:

Matvælasjóður / Icelandic Food Innovation Fund

Contact

Ólafur Reykdal

Project Manager

olafur.reykdal@matis.is

Markmið verkefnisins um kryddjurtir var að rannsaka áhrif kryddjurta á geymsluþol matvæla en mikill áhugi er á hagnýtingu náttúrulegra hráefna í stað rotvarefna til að ná viðunandi geymsluþoli matvæla. Í verkefninu var athyglinni fyrst og fremst beint að einni kryddjurt, sítrónumelissu. Ljóst er að sítrónumelissan býr yfir andoxunarvirkni samkvæmt mælingum í verkefninu. Andoxunarefnin gegna mikilvægu hlutverki fyrir heilsu, þau sporna gegn myndun skaðlegra efna í líkamanum og draga úr óæskilegum breytingum.

Í verkefninu kom í ljós að þættir í sítrónumelissu geta hamlað fjölgun örvera og að sítrónumelissa er því meðal mögulegra hráefna sem geta lengt geymsluþol matvæla. Á þessu stigi er þó ekki tímabært að nota sítrónumelissu alfarið í stað rotvarefna sem fram til þessa hafa verið nauðsynleg fyrir matvælaöryggi. Þessa þróun ætti að taka í varfærnum skrefum og fylgjast með öryggi afurðanna. Hafa má í huga að notkun sítrónumelissu í matvæli treystir hollustuímynd varanna vegna andoxunarefna, vítamína og annarra næringarefna. Í tilraunum kom í ljós að sítrónumelissa hamlaði gegn vexti örvera við vissar aðstæður. Pressaður safi úr sítrónumelissu var til skoðunar og býður hann upp á hagnýtingu. Við geymslu á sítrónumelissu og fleiri kryddjurtum við 3-4 °C kom í ljós að skemmdarferlar gengu hægt fyrir sig.
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Lemon balm is a plant that belongs to the group of herbs. In this project the properties of lemon balm were studied to test if the plant could be used to prolong shelf life of processed foods and thus replace food additives.

Considerable antioxidant activity was measured in lemon balm. It was also found that lemon balm can act as an antimicrobial agent to delay the growth of bacteria in fish balls and meat balls. The antimicrobial activity was dependent on the form of lemon balm. Lemon balm juice can be used in product development.

Lemon balm added to processed foods will provide increased content of antioxidants and vitamins. The use of lemon balm to replace preservatives should only be used stepwise and safety of the food should be checked during changing of recipes.

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Reports

Sýnatökur á jarðhitasvæðum 2024: Skýrsla Matís til NÍ vegna eftirlits með framkvæmd rannsóknaleyfis og upplýsingagjöf um sýni og niðurstöður

Published:

12/12/2024

Authors:

Elísabet Eik Guðmundsdóttir

Supported by:

Horizon Europe

Contact

Elísabet Eik Guðmundsdóttir

Research Group Leader

elisabet@matis.is

Þessi skýrsla er lokuð.

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Reports

On line technologies to measure intramuscular fat in lamb carcasses

Published:

04/12/2024

Authors:

Guðjón Þorkelsson

Supported by:

Sheep farming development capital

Contact

Guðjón Þorkelsson

Strategic Scientist

gudjon.thorkelsson@matis.is

Fat explosion has not been measured during the quality assessment of lamb and ewe carcasses because it is not possible to visually assess muscle since the carcasses are not cut after cooling in slaughterhouses. It is changing. Australia, the world's largest lamb exporter, has adopted intramuscular fat as a breeding target. In order to breed and pay farmers for fat in the muscles of lamb carcasses, fast and automatic measurements of hot carcasses on the slaughter line are needed. Meat and Livestock Australia and public bodies have supported the development and testing of meters based on different technologies. One meter has been certified and is being tested/used in several abattoirs in Australia and New Zealand. The meter is from Meqprobe and is based on probes being inserted into the warm back muscle on the slaughter line, which assess intramuscular fat using laser technology.

Other measures, such as optical imaging (OCT), based on the adaptation of needles used in medical imaging to measure intramuscular fat and other properties, and magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) are still under development.

The purpose of including intramuscular fat in the quality assessment is to make lamb meat from Australia stand out in demanding markets in other countries that are willing to pay a higher price for higher taste quality.

We are considering whether to breed for intramuscular fat in Icelandic sheep. Conditions in Iceland are completely different from Australia, where about 25 million lambs are slaughtered per year, the age at slaughter is 6-8 months, the average weight is 25 kg, and about 70% of the production is sold abroad. The slaughterhouses in Iceland might be too small to cover the costs of an objective assessment of muscle fat, and there is also a question as to whether it serves any purpose both for farmers and different markets. Another option is to focus on breeding and measure intramuscular fat in the back muscles of lambs from progeny research farms the day after slaughter in cold slaughterhouses. The carcasses would then have to be cut to access the spinal muscles of the lambs and NIR meters or imaging should be used to measure fat in the muscles.

The NIR meter from the company SOMA OPT has been certified in Australia to measure intramuscular fat in the spinal muscles of lamb carcasses. Imaging equipment for beef is also being adapted to lamb meat. It is also interesting to observe the development of technology for image analysis with ordinary mobile phones.

It is also interesting to see if it will be possible to use ultrasound on live cattle to tell about intramuscular fat. This report is a summary of the development of instrumentation in relation to intramuscular fat in lambs in Australia and New Zealand. It is part of the project "Fat blasting in lamb meat", which is funded by Development Fund for Sheep Farming.
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Marbling of muscle is now a sheep breeding objective in Australia and New Zealand. Marbling has in breeding programs been evaluated in the loin muscles of carcasses of lambs from progeny testing either by sampling muscle for chemical analysis or measuring samples or muscle surfaces by Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) instruments. Rapid, accurate and reliable techniques for measuring intramuscular fat in loin muscles of lamb carcasses are needed if it is to be included in the price to farmers, grading and further processing and marketing. This is being done in Australia and New Zealand. Different technologies have been developed and tested with the support of MLA (Meat and Livestock Australia).

Online technologies of interest include:

"MEQ (Meat Eating Quality) probe" is an industry applicable technology to estimate intramuscular fat (IMF) percent in lamb by inserting laser-based probes in the loin muscle of hot carcasses. It has been granted conditional AUS-MEAT accreditation to measure IMF% in hot lamb carcasses and is being used and tested in abattoirs in Australia and New Zealand.

The start up company Miniprobes has developed a needle with a fiber optic probe to measure IMF based on optical coherence tomography (OCT).

The company AMPC is developing the Marbl™ technology using a single-sided nuclear magnetic resonance sensor alongside the longissimus muscle to capture IMF measurements without penetrating the carcass.

NIR analyzer from the company SOMA OPT has been accredited Australia for estimating intramuscular fat in lamb loin muscles. It is based on cut carcass technology which can be used in research and progeny testing.

Including intramuscular fat as a breeding goal in sheep production in Iceland is being considered. It is still too early to say if it is feasible. Data must be collected from progeny testing for many years using the SOM OPT NIR meter or similar tools to see if there is enough genetic variation to justify intramuscular fat as a breeding objective. The small size of sheep production in Iceland with around 400 thousand lambs slaughtered in 8 weeks each year in 3-4 abattoirs will probably make it too expensive to adapt sophisticated online technologies to measure and use intramuscular fat to control and improve the eating quality of the meat.

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Reports

Growth and digestibility study with an additional faeces consistency test in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Published:

21/10/2024

Authors:

Wolfgang Koppe, Sven-Ole Meiske, Georges Lamborelle & David Sutter

Contact

Georges Lamborelle

Station manager of Matís Aquaculture Research Station

georges@matis.is

This report is closed.

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Reports

Improving gill and skin health in Atlantic salmon (salmo salar) post-smolts with increasing levels of dietary purified nucleotides – Method development

Published:

02/10/2024

Authors:

Eric Seifert, Wolfgang Koppe, Sven-Ole Meiske, Georges Lamborelle & David Sutter

Contact

Georges Lamborelle

Station manager of Matís Aquaculture Research Station

georges@matis.is

This report is closed. This report is closed.

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Reports

Food industry communication with next generation consumers: knowledge, engagement, empowerment, food values

Published:

29/12/2021

Authors:

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir Matís and HÍ, Berglind Lilja Guðlaugsdóttir HÍ, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir HÍ, Eva Margrét Jónudóttir Matís, Þóra Valsdóttir Matís and Guðjón Þorkelsson Matís

Supported by:

EIT Food

Contact

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir

Project Manager

kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is

People are increasingly moving away from the primary production of food, and the connection to raw materials and their processing is often unclear. Young people are the consumers of the future. Their attitude and trust in food is therefore of great importance to food manufacturers. The needs and values of young people are not necessarily the same as those of older people. The goal of the WeValueFood project was to find ways to increase the understanding and knowledge of young people so that they understand the values and values of food and become more aware of food in a wider context.

Three workshops were organized by Matís, where university students and the Icelandic food industry were brought together. The workshops focused on current communication patterns and the industry's provision of information to consumers, and the goal was to support the food industry's communication with consumers of the future. Various food companies and stakeholders came to the workshops and worked with young consumers to define food values and have a conversation about communication channels. Emphasis was placed on increasing interest and knowledge of food in order to promote the following generations to make rational and informed decisions in their food choices. The three workshops took place online in the fall of 2020: 1) With university students – to explore their food values and opinion on current food industry communication channels, 2) With participants from the food industry – to explore how they experience the next generation of consumers and how the food industry can support education/knowledge and participation in food-related issues and 3) With university students and participants from the food industry – to introduce food industry ideas and communication channels, and explore student responses.

The students placed great emphasis on environmental impact, as transparency and honesty are key factors for a positive image and trust in food producers. Young people want to know more about how food is produced and, no less, what is involved in the production process. They wanted to see more about how food is produced in Iceland, either on social media, on the websites of food companies or through food labels. What young people called for included verified information on everything from origin to cooking and storage instructions. Emphasis was placed on the fact that the information had to be confirmed by neutral parties such as scientists. Participants from the food industry were generally aware of the needs of young people in terms of information and means of communication, but often had difficulty meeting these needs due to costs and time. The food industry called for a partnership with the authorities to address the knowledge and education needs of young people to ensure adequate and scientifically proven information is available to all. One of the solutions proposed by the industry participants could easily respond to the needs of young people for specific food knowledge, which at the same time could contribute to increased interest and participation of young people. This solution involved a food science website, which would be managed by independent bodies, such as universities, to share scientifically proven information without conflicts of interest. The workshops created an interesting conversation between the students and the food producer, which provided important insights for both consumers and the food industry. It is important to follow the workshops and strengthen the dialogue and flow of information between consumers and producers in order to meet the needs of the consumers of the future.

WeValueFood was funded by the European Union through EIT Food. In addition to Matís and the University of Iceland, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, the University of Cambridge and the University of Reading in the UK, the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Turin in Italy, the University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland for the project. The project as a whole was led by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Food consumption trends have increased the gap between primary food production. The proximity to production of raw materials and food processing has become more unclear to many consumers. Young people are the consumers of the future. Their attitude towards food is therefore important to food producers. Their needs and values are not necessarily the same as those of older consumers. The aim of the WeValueFood project was to find ways to increase the understanding and strengthen young people's knowledge and understanding so that they better appreciate the values of food and become more aware of food in a wider context.

Three online workshops on food values of next generation consumers (NGCs) were carried out in Iceland in the autumn of 2020, by Matis in collaboration with the University of Iceland. The communication between university students of various study categories and food industry was explored within the three workshops: 1) With students – to assess their food values and opinions on the current food industry communication; 2) With industry participants – to understand how they perceive the NGCs and how they can help to educate and engage them with food; 3) With students and industry – to present industry's ideas of communication and receive student feedback on industries' communication strategies.

The students emphasized the environmental impact of foods, transparency, and honesty in communication for a positive image of and trust in food producers. They wanted to know more about how food is made, either on social media or food industry websites, or with food labels. Emphasis was placed on information about everything from origin and environmental labels to cooking and storage guidelines. Not less important, the information needed to be verified by a responsible independent third party, such as scientists. The food industry participants were generally aware of NGC's information needs and communication channels, but struggled to meet these needs, mainly due to cost and time. The food industry needs cooperation with authorities to educate the next generation on food related issues, to fulfill the NGC needs for knowledge, with scientifically valid and trustworthy information available for everyone. One of the idea pitches from the industry summarized the overall need for knowledge and communication, both for the food industry and NGC that could improve food involvement and engagement. The pitch was about a food science website, supervised by independent parties, such as universities, to provide fact-based, scientifically correct information, without any conflicts of interest.

WeValueFood, was supported by EU through EIT Food, was a two-year collaborative project between Matis, University of Iceland, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM-IMDEA) and IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, University of Cambridge and University of Reading in England, University of Helsinki in Finland University of Turin in Italy, University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland. The entire project was managed by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, North Ireland.

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Reports

Kids Chefs: Testing entertainers to increase young students' knowledge and interest in food and food production

Published:

29/12/2021

Authors:

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir Matís and HÍ, Berglind Lilja Guðlaugsdóttir HÍ, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir HÍ, Rakel Halldórsdóttir Matís, Eva Margrét Jónudóttir Matís, Þóra Valsdóttir Matís and Guðjón Þorkelsson Matís and HÍ

Supported by:

EIT Food

Contact

Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir

Project Manager

kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is

Kids cooks is a project that has been in development at Matís since 2017 as a step towards the sustainability goals of the United Nations. Kids cook was developed based on the idea that kindergartens and elementary schools could use the project in an easy and effective way to teach about sustainability and food nutrition through entertainment and education (fun). The project Krakkar kokka was first tested in the fall of 2018 in Skagafjörður in the Elementary School east of Vatna and in Varmahlíðar School. In 2020, Krakkar kokka was connected to the European project WeValueFood, which aimed, among other things, to increase food awareness, interest and knowledge of European children.

A total of six schools within and outside the capital city area started the project in collaboration with Matís and the University of Iceland's School of Education. Children aged 11-12 years old learned about local community consumption and sustainability through entertainers (Krakkar Kokka), who combine education, field trips to source ingredients, cooking and consumption, as well as documentary filmmaking. The impact of the curriculum was assessed with a questionnaire administered to the children before and after the fun education, and with interviews with teachers.

Due to Covid-19, four schools out of six completed the project, and only one school managed to finish within the time frame. However, positive signs of change could be seen, as the children showed more interest in food-related topics after the project, as well as they tried to reduce food waste and paid more attention to information related to food produced in the local environment. Teachers were generally satisfied with the learning material and were interested in continuing to use it.

Project description Kids cooks for schools and videos of school children from the implementation of the project are available on Matís' website: https://www.matis.is/krakkar-kokka/

Funded by the European Union through EIT Food, WeValueFood was a two-year collaborative project of several European universities, research institutes and innovative companies. In addition to Matís in collaboration with the University of Iceland, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM-IMDEA) and IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, University of Cambridge and University of Reading in Great Britain, University of Helsinki in Finland came to the project , University of Turin in Italy, University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland. The project was led by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Kids Cuisine is a project that has been in development at Matís since 2017 as a step towards reaching the sustainability goals of the United Nations. Krakkar kokka is designed from the viewpoint that primary schools can easily and effectively use the project in education on health, well-being and sustainability, through entertainment and education, combined in edutainment.

The first testing of the implementation of the project took place in the northern part of Iceland (Skagafjordur) during the school year 2018-2019. In autumn 2020, the project implementation was tested again, including evaluation of children's food engagement and teacher's feedback, as a part of the European project WeValueFood, that aimed at increasing European children's food awareness, interest and knowledge.

A total of six schools within and outside the capital area participated in the project in collaboration with Matís and the University of Iceland's Faculty of Education, where 11-12 year old children learned about local consumption and sustainability through edutainment (Krakkar Kokka). The concept was straight forward, combining education, field trips to gather raw material, cooking and consumption, as well as documentary filmmaking of the process. The impact of the curriculum was assessed with a questionnaire administered to children before and after the education, together with interviews with teachers.

Due to Covid-19, four schools out of six completed the project, and only one school managed to finish within the time frame. However, positive signs of change could be seen, as the children showed more interest in food-related topics after the project, as well as they tried to reduce food waste and paid more attention to information related to food produced in the local environment. Teachers were generally satisfied with the learning material and were interested in continuing to use it.

Project description of the Krakkar kokka project for schools and videos of school children from the implementation of the project are available on Matís' website: https://www.matis.is/krakkar-kokka/

WeValueFood was supported by the EU through EIT Food. It was a two year collaborative project between Matis, University of Iceland, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM-IMDEA) and IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, University of Cambridge and University of Reading in England, University of Helsinki in Finland University of Turin in Italy, University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland. The entire project was managed by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, North Ireland.

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Reports

Virtual reality in teaching

Published:

29/12/2022

Authors:

Þóra Valsdóttir Matís, Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir Matís and HÍ, Svava Sigríður Svavarsdóttir HÍ and Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir HÍ

Supported by:

EIT Food

Contact

Þóra Valsdóttir

Project Manager

thora.valsdottir@matis.is

Children are usually interested in new technology and open to new knowledge, as long as it is presented in an interesting way. An intervention study was carried out with the aim of evaluating whether virtual reality-based educational material has a greater effect on the learning and attitudes of children aged 12-13 than more traditional ways of presenting the material. The intervention included the introduction of new teaching materials in six primary schools, where emphasis was placed on healthy eating to promote one's own health as well as that of the earth. The teaching material included a slide deck, a virtual reality video and practical exercises. The intervention went under the working title "The Tomato Project” where the theme was tomatoes. Emphasis was placed on sustainability, the origin of food, food technology, food production, food waste, etc. in relation to tomatoes. A questionnaire was given to the children, both before and after the intervention, to measure the effect of the teaching material on learning, and interviews were conducted with teachers after the intervention to assess the usefulness of the teaching material in teaching.

The results of the intervention indicated that the use of virtual reality in teaching can increase interest in food and contribute to positive changes in children's attitudes towards healthier eating. Overall, there was satisfaction with the teaching material among the teachers, the teachers who had used the virtual reality glasses were the most enthusiastic. The intervention also demonstrated that the use of virtual reality can be integrated with teaching in other formats. A positive learning experience and increased interest in a healthy diet, including eating tomatoes, was observed in all cases, regardless of the type of teaching material. Teachers were also satisfied with teaching materials that contained such a wide range of concepts that could be combined in the theme and how theoretical and practical learning could be integrated. The teachers' experience was that a lot of material could be covered in a relatively short time.
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Children are generally excited about new technology and open to consume knowledge if it is made interesting to them. An intervention study was performed which goal was to assess whether virtual reality-based educational material has a greater impact on children’s learning and attitudes than more traditional ways of presenting the material. The intervention involved the introduction of new teaching materials in six primary schools where the emphasis was on healthy eating for one’s own well-being and as well as of the planet. The teaching material included a slide pack, a virtual reality video and practical exercises. The intervention went under the working title „The Tomato Project“ as the theme was tomatoes. Emphasis was placed on sustainability, food origin, food technology, food production, food waste, etc. in relation to tomatoes. The children filled in a questionnaire before and after the intervention to measure the effect of the teaching material on learning and interviews were conducted with teachers to evaluate the usefulness of the teaching material in teaching.

The results of the intervention indicated that the use of virtual reality in education can increase interest in food and contribute to changes in children's attitudes towards healthier and healthier diets. Overall, there was satisfaction with the teaching material among teachers, those teachers who had used the virtual reality glasses were the most interested. The intervention also demonstrated that the use of virtual reality can be integrated with teaching in other forms. Positive learning experiences and increased interest in healthy eating, including eating tomatoes, were observed in all cases, regardless of the type of teaching material. Teachers were also pleased with the teaching material that contained such a wide range of concepts that could be combined in the theme and how theoretical and practical learning could be integrated. The teachers' experience was that it was possible to cover a lot of material in a relatively short time.

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Reports

NorwLobster: Proceedings from a workshop on Norway lobster fisheries in the Nordic countries, held in Copenhagen 13th and 14th of May 2024

Published:

09/09/2024

Authors:

Gunnar Þórðarson and Sigurjón Arason

Supported by:

AG fisk (Nordic Council's working group for fisheries cooperation)

Contact

Gunnar Þórðarson

Regional Manager

gunnar.thordarson@matis.is

There is considerable variation between countries how the species (Nephrops) is caught. Some countries rely largely on creeling (pot fishing) while bottom trawling is the common approach in other regions. Most common in Scandinavia is a combination of both systems, trawling in open sea and deep water, and pot fishing within fjords in shallow water. There are no considerable conflicts between the two groups.

There are pros and cons in both trap fishing and trawling for Nephrops. Both methods have some environmental impact, and both affect the Nephrops stock. Both methods need to respond to increased demands on awareness in environmental issues and sustainable fishing.

The effects of bottom trawling on potential habitat destruction were discussed. Recent developments in fishing gear technology were introduced and evaluation of future directions explored.

Common outcome from the meeting was a need for further research and lack of knowledge on stock assessment and biology. Another outcome was the need for all stakeholders to share information and increase cooperation in the future.

Participants agreed on the severity of the black market for Nephromas, and the damage it does for the value chain, and making stock assessment insignificant. Discharging is another important point regarding running an economic sustainable fishery. Homepage: https://norwlobster.com/

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