This year’s move by the European Commission to approve two more varieties of insect protein for human consumption may herald greater innovation in the EU, though not necessarily in post-Brexit UK.
While 2021 patent filings globally have fallen from 2020’s all-time peak (by about 17%, from 302 to 251, yet still higher than any other previous year), the decade-long trend is upwards.
Innovation in this area is varied, and includes insect types, genetic modification, breeding and rearing, harvesting and processing plus food – both human and for animals – made from insects or larvae.
European companies – followed by the US and China – are challenging their previously-dominant South Korean competitors in the innovation stakes for internationally-recognised patents, reaching an almost 20-year high of 46 filings that lead to international patent families.
The top patent filing business in 2021 – French biotechnology company, Innovafed – is developing technology for producing insect eggs and collecting/treating larvae. Meanwhile, Ÿnsect, also French-owned, has applied to protect an edible product derived from insect larvae or worms.
Report author and patent attorney Alice Smart, said: “The overall trend in patent filings remains upwards although 2021 saw a small dip in the number of new applications. In contrast the number of filings in Europe increased which may be a result of legislation change which appears to be driving greater innovation in the insect protein industry. This shows how regulators can help the development of an emerging industry – not least one which may offer a future-proof food source that has a relatively low environmental impact.”
The Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Third Edition’s focus on alternative protein was chosen because of its prominence in the global green innovation conversation, as referenced in the OECD’s and United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Green Innovation Database, a global innovation catalogue that connects needs for solving environmental or climate change problems with sustainable solutions.
