Impossible Foods Success: Startup Scores EU Patent Win for Flagship Vegan Burger Ingredient

California-based plant-based meat leader Impossible Foods has successfully had its patent for heme protein reinstated in the EU, paving the way for a potential European launch. The patent had been revoked by the European Patent Office two years prior but was overturned by the agency's Board of Appeals after facing significant opposition. The patent covers the use of heme protein and flavour precursors in Impossible Foods' flagship burger, allowing it to mimic the taste and smell of conventional beef.

This victory comes after a long legal battle in the US, where Impossible Foods triumphed over Motif Foodworks in a dispute over heme protein. With regulatory progress also being made in Europe, including positive safety assessments by the European Food Safety Authority, Impossible Foods is inching closer to bringing its products to European consumers. This patent win is seen as a positive development for the plant-based meat industry in Europe, where it has faced challenges over labelling but recently saw a rejection of a proposed labelling ban by the EU's top court.