Contact
Óli Þór Hilmarsson
Project Manager
oli.th.hilmarsson@matis.is
Matís holds a special course website where a variety of educational material is available. This is a website that hosts 7 courses, but each one addresses certain aspects that are important for small food producers to get acquainted with. The content of the courses is presented in a lively and practical way and can therefore also be useful for food production enthusiasts or curious entrepreneurs.
Small-scale food production in Iceland is, however, considerable and will probably increase in the coming years. Licensors and regulators demand to a much greater extent that manufacturers have the professional knowledge and experience to be able to produce safe and good products. The course material and course instructions allow those who intend to start small-scale food production to acquire knowledge that is useful, for example, in all kinds of raw material handling, storage and labeling of food, application for an operating license, internal control and the preparation of a quality manual.
The topics of the courses are as follows:
- Licensing, quality manual, internal control and establishment of companies - Instructions for starting small-scale food production, distribution and sale.
- Microorganisms on meat - Study materials and guidelines aimed at explaining the importance of proper processing and handling of food so that it does not cause harm.
- Slaughter and meat eating - The meat assessment, ie. The classification of carcasses by sex, age, body fat and fat, plays an important role as a basis for pricing and trade in meat and for information for animal husbandry.
- Salting and smoking - Taste properties and technical purpose of salting and smoking foods.
- Food packaging labeling and packaging - All foodstuffs intended for end-users or commercial kitchens must be accompanied by food information in accordance with regulations. It can also be good to pack products in packaging and then it is important to know how to work.
- Raw processing and sausage making - Educational materials on processed meat products, such as food that has been changed from its natural state in some way, mainly for safety reasons, to improve the taste quality or increase the comfort of consumption.
- Sawing, deboning and marinating - Material on different divisions of an entire carcass into individual parts as well as marinating and the science behind it.
The educational material in the courses is compiled from various data, such as the laws and regulations that deal with food, from previous research and the study and promotional material that has been prepared at Matís and the Food Administration.
When purchasing a course, the study material opens and the buyer has access to it for 30 days.
Matís is the largest research company in the country in the field of food research and Matís' staff has many years of experience in food research. Great emphasis is placed on disseminating knowledge to the food industry in Iceland and web courses are one way to do this.