Contact
Ólafur Reykdal
Project Manager
olafur.reykdal@matis.is
The project Challenges in packing vegetables was funded by the Swedish Food Fund in 2021. The aim of the project was to provide an overview of options for packaging vegetables and point out upcoming new packaging materials that can replace plastic. Furthermore, the project was intended to provide an overview of the impact of packaging on the environment and people's health, and to investigate the shelf life and quality of vegetables for different packaging under Icelandic conditions.
The project's contribution will be to make the latest knowledge on vegetable packaging available to interested parties in Iceland. The project has built up knowledge that will be shared with the vegetable sector. It will be possible to make decisions about the best solutions based on product quality and environmental protection. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Horticultural Farmers at the Farmers' Association of Iceland and the Gardeners' Sales Association. Part of the project was work on the assessment of the carbon footprint of several horticultural farms, but the results are presented in another forum. Although this report focuses specifically on vegetables, the topics have general appeal and those planning to package other types of food should benefit from the report. It is hoped that the project will lead to progress in food packaging and pave the way for new types of packaging materials.