The occasion was the opening of a magnificent laboratory at Vínlandsleið 12 in Reykjavík, which was set up as part of the collaborative project Safe Food.
The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, was present at the opening, along with the German Ambassador to Iceland, Thomas Hermann Meister, both of whom gave short speeches and formally opened the laboratory with clippings. Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir, who sits on the board of Matís, also gave a good speech about the importance of the research facility for the public, for Icelandic food production and for Matís and how the facility will be used in, among other things, studies in food and nutrition at the University of Iceland.
Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Sigurður
Ingi Jóhannsson and the German Ambassador to Iceland,
Thomas Hermann Meister, formally open the facility.
The Safe Food project is intended to ensure food safety and protect Icelandic consumers. The project enables the Icelandic authorities, the Food Administration and the municipal health inspectorate to better enforce legislation on food safety and consumer protection. Safe food is developed in collaboration with Matís, Matvælastofnun, the Ministry of Industry and Innovation, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) in Germany.
With the opening of the research facility and with improved equipment, it will be possible to carry out much more measurements domestically than is currently the case, such as measurements of algae toxins in shellfish and measurements of 300 pesticides in food instead of the 60 currently measured.
The Safe Foods project will undoubtedly be a great springboard for Icelandic consumers, regulators and not least for producers and retailers. Consumers want more information about the substances that are and are not in the foods they consume and manufacturers and retailers also want this information to further increase consumer confidence in their products.
For further information Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir, director of Matís.