Food in Iceland

Iceland's food supply rests on seafood and fisheries, sheep farming, dairy production and greenhouse horticulture. Imports complement domestic production, especially where local supply is limited. Geothermal energy allows greenhouses to produce vegetables throughout the year. Food businesses include production, processing, storage, transport, import and export, and sales. National authorities and municipal bodies share responsibility for food oversight, while regional availability can differ between the capital area, South, Westfjords, East, North, West and Reykjanes. Traditional cooking uses salting, drying, smoking, souring and fermentation. Geothermal baking is associated with dark rye bread called rúgbrauð. Common foods include skyr, flatkaka, plokkfiskur, kjötsúpa, hangikjöt, harðfiskur with butter, hákarl, slátur and svið. Salt meat with split-pea soup and kæst skata are also established foods. Modern Icelandic cuisine is diverse, and Iceland has no single legally defined national dish. Þorrablót meals usually take place between late January and late February and may include preserved fish and meat, slátur, svið, hákarl and skyr. Kæst skata is traditionally associated with December 23, while Christmas meals often include meat dishes. These customs concern food culture; wider cultural traditions belong to a separate subject. The Directorate of Health recommends more vegetables, fruit, fish and whole grains, together with less sugar, saturated fat, salt and highly processed food. Skráargatið is a voluntary Nordic healthier-choice label. Its criteria cover 33 food categories and help compare packaged foods without turning the label into medical advice. Vegan guidance and age-specific nutrition material are also available from the Directorate of Health. Restaurants and other food providers include full-service restaurants, cafés, pubs, catering services, takeaways, dining halls, service stations and event halls. A food business generally needs registration or a licence, suitable premises and equipment, and an inspection before starting. Matvælastofnun, usually called MAST, is Iceland's food authority. Municipal health authorities handle many premises and hygiene matters. The District Commissioner administers alcohol-related licensing: Category 1 covers businesses without alcohol service, while Categories 2 and 3 involve alcohol and supervision rules. Temporary food events in Reykjavík require a municipal permit, and requirements and timing can vary by municipality. Consumers have a right to information about the 14 regulated allergens in unpackaged food. A business may provide the information orally only when a visible notice says that written ingredient information is available. Food businesses remain responsible for safe food, correct labelling, traceability, the cold chain and risk-based controls such as HACCP. Products of animal origin require an oval identification mark showing IS and an approval number. Chilled food should generally be kept at 0 to 4°C. A best-before date mainly concerns quality, while a use-by date concerns safety and should be treated more strictly. Importing raw meat into Iceland is prohibited, and food from outside the European Economic Area is generally not permitted for personal import. Food donation is possible when the food is safe, correctly labelled, intact and stored and transported properly. Food and eating out are expensive by European comparison. In a preliminary 2025 comparison where the EU27 equals 100, Iceland's price-level index was 155.8 for food and non-alcoholic beverages and 173.2 for restaurants and accommodation. Actual prices vary by product, venue and region. The Government's Matvælastefna Íslands, or Food Policy of Iceland, sets a horizon to 2040 and links food security with resilience, animal welfare, climate, nature and sustainable resource use. Its measures include sustainable fisheries and agriculture, geothermal horticulture, circularity and food-waste reduction. The 2022 food-waste baseline was about 60,300 tonnes, or 160 kilograms per person. Primary production accounted for 48 percent, households for 39 percent and restaurants and food services for 6 percent. The stated targets are a 30 percent reduction by 2025 and a 50 percent reduction by 2030 compared with 2022; achievement of these targets has not been established by the cited baseline. Surplus donation and the Saman gegn sóun initiative support waste reduction. Reykjavík's 2026 food-policy example links local production, sustainable resource use, healthy food, food security and a diverse food culture.