The co-operation project between the Icelandic and German governments on increasing food safety has now been completed. Food safety is a key prerequisite for food producers to be able to sell their products and participate in international trade.
Consumers, both domestic and foreign, must be able to trust that food is safe and that the government has the capacity to monitor food safety in accordance with international standards and regulations.
The bilateral project between Germany and Iceland, Safe Foods, which has contributed to increased food security in Iceland, has now been completed, but the main participants in the project were Matís, Matvælastofnun (MAST), the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) in Germany.
"Our goal was to build up the administration and improve research facilities in Iceland so that all the necessary infrastructure is in place to ensure the safety of food on the Icelandic market. This is done to protect the health and interests of consumers in ever-expanding markets in times of increasing globalization," said Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, president of the BfR, and professor dr. Eberhard Haunhorst, President of LAVES in a meeting with Sigurður Inga Jóhannsson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture on June 25, 2014. "The Safe Foods collaboration project has contributed to a significant strengthening of Iceland's research capacity, which will enable us to work in accordance with European standards and regulations. This work will facilitate the export of Icelandic food on the international market." said Matís CEO Sveinn Margeirsson. "Thanks to the close cooperation between the Icelandic authorities and German partners, public inspectors have increased their knowledge of legislation, administration and procedures for official food inspection so that we are now better equipped to ensure the interests of consumers with regard to food safety", added the director of the Norwegian Food Agency. Jón Gíslason we.
The main priorities of the project were to improve the analysis of pesticide residues and other contaminants in food, such as PCBs, as well as the analysis of genetic changes in food and feed. Another important factor was the introduction of chemical analysis methods to measure algae in shellfish. To achieve these goals, first-class research equipment was purchased and installed in Matís' laboratory, as well as the staff concerned were trained in the use of the equipment and the implementation of official diagnostic methods according to European standards. Matvælastofnun and the municipal health inspectorate also received training in sampling, monitoring and interpretation of legislation in these areas. A total of 24 experts from German partner organizations came to Iceland to provide this training, in addition to which Icelandic experts will pay an introductory visit to Germany.
The project is considered to have been very successful and there is talk of a possible continuation of the co-operation that has been established between Icelandic and German institutions in the field of food safety.
For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, director of Matís.