News from Northern Europe

Most people now associate Iceland with financial bubbles. It is hardly known that this island state with its about 320.000 inhabitants - who have one of the highest life expectancies in the world, by the way - is also leading in food science.

During a short visit at MATIS, the food R&D institute in Reykjavik, Dr. Volker Heinz, Director of the DIL institute, could see for himself that the highly varied food industry in Iceland did not lose any of its power. On the contrary: MATIS, newly founded about four years ago by the merger of three public food research institutes, with its about 100 employees is the center of the R&D activities within the Icelandic food industry which has much more to offer than fish; for example lamb meat from sustainable pasture farming or extracts from natural substances such as plants or algae are products well in demand not just in Iceland.

“The processing of natural raw materials with highly efficient, sustainable processes is one of the main tasks of MATIS”, explains managing director Dr. Sjofn Sigurgísladóttir. “We are convinced that the combination of traditional knowledge and advanced research will bear highly interesting products for the European markets as well.”

Dr. Sigurgísladóttir and Dr. Heinz agreed on initiating two research projects in 2010 within the scope of the CORNET project. CORNET stands for Collective Research NETworking; it pursues the linking of national and regional programs within the joint research activities in Europe.

In the long run, both MATIS and DIL expect many more cooperation projects to emerge which, last but not least, will allow for a more intense contact between the Icelandic and the German food industries.

For more information:
www.matis.is