Source: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
The European Patent Office (EPO) has revoked a European Union (EU) patent held by Impossible Foods, maker of the Impossible Burger.
In the U.S., Impossible’s fake meat products are manufactured with GMO yeast-derived soy leghemoglobin, a controversial ingredient that makes the fake meat look as if it’s bleeding, like undercooked real meat, and that we have argued may not be safe to eat.
Following the EPO’s decision, another fake meat company, Motif FoodWorks, has filed a suite of new petitions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office challenging U.S. patents held by Impossible Foods over the use of heme proteins (such as that present in soy leghemoglobin) in meat alternatives, as it defends itself against Impossible’s accusations of patent infringement, according to Food Navigator USA.
Fake meat industry ‘a flop’
The news about Impossible’s patent fights comes in the wake of an article by Bloomberg describing the rapid decline in the fake meat industry, which it branded “a flop.” The article is titled, “Fake meat was supposed to save the world. It became just another fad.”
Impossible shares, the article said, are currently trading at around $12 — about half the price during its last fundraising round.
And more recently Bloomberg has reported that Impossible is preparing to lay off about 20% of its staff, following another round of cuts in October when about 6% of its staff got laid off.
The latest patent wars will only add to the industry’s woes.
Impossible patents
Motif FoodWorks said that many of the claimed inventions in Impossible’s patents are obvious and already disclosed in prior art, which means they cannot be patented.
Motif added that the EPO’s decision to revoke Impossible’s patent “affirms our belief that Impossible’s patents are invalid and never should have been issued in the first place.”
Impossible Foods told Food Navigator USA that its plans to launch its full range of products in the EU have not changed. Its soy leghemoglobin “fake blood” product is currently being evaluated for EU use by the European Food Safety Authority….