The first analysis of its kind has revealed that patent publications by European alternative protein innovators have increased by 960% over the last decade.

A report by nonprofit and think tank the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) has found the region’s companies and public research organisations published 1,191 patents related to the development of plant-based foods, cultivated meat and fermentation last year – compared to just 124 in 2015.

The total number of patents published by European organisations now stands at more than 5,000 and the publication rate has grown by an average of 32% each year.

GFI Europe says the findings – which follow recent analyses of the growth of European academic research and funding – highlight the rapid rate of alternative protein innovation.

However, the report also reveals that important technologies needed to ensure these foods are as tasty and affordable as animal-based products remain overlooked, and more open-access research capable of advancing the field is urgently needed.

The report finds an inconsistent picture across the region with innovators from just five countries (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK) named on 72% of all patent ‘families’ – groups of documents related to the same invention.

The analysis also found:

• Switzerland emerged as a clear leader, with Swiss companies and organisations publishing 1,232 patents from 265 patent families since 2015. 
• Germany has the highest number of individual ‘assignees’ – the organisation or individual who owns the patent’s rights – at 82.
• Nordic countries such as Denmark, Finland and Sweden punch above their weight in terms of patents per million inhabitants, but larger countries have room for improvement in this category.

Innovation was dominated by research into plant-based foods, with nearly 4,000 patents published since 2015 – representing 74% of the total and reflecting the greater maturity of plant-based research. 

However, important areas such as breeding better protein crops to provide the raw ingredients for plant-based products remain highly neglected. 

A much smaller number of patents have been published relating to cultivated meat and precision fermentation, highlighting the need for more research to stimulate innovation – particularly in areas like developing better culture media to enable animal cells to grow and finding more efficient microbial strains as a basis for fermentation-made food.

Meat was by far the most common end product, followed by dairy, but just 1% of all patent families related to alternative seafood – indicating that this area is neglected and in need of more research. 

Dr David Hunt, Research Support Manager at GFI Europe, said: “This report reveals the rapid pace of Europe’s alternative protein innovation. However, alongside the exciting breakthroughs, we find that key areas needed to commercialise these foods are being overlooked, and there is a risk that some countries may be left behind. 

“In order to drive green growth and boost food security, governments and funding bodies must build a thriving ecosystem by providing more opportunities for public research organisations to collaborate closely with private companies. This would deliver open access innovation that will benefit the entire field and help bring findings to market more quickly.”