European Alternative Protein Patents Increase by 960% in a Decade
A new analysis by GFI Europe has found that patent publications by European alternative protein innovators have seen a huge 960% surge over the past decade. Over 5,000 alternative protein patents have now been published by European organisations, with the publication rate growing by an average of 32% per year. 1,191 patents were published in 2024, compared to just 124 in 2015. Despite this, GFI says many technologies remain overlooked and more open-access research is needed. Plant-based foods dominate Plant-based foods dominate the research, accounting for almost 4,000 patents (74% of the total number). However, GFI says some areas are still neglected, such as breeding better protein crops to provide the raw ingredients for plant-based products. A much smaller number of patents has been published …