We are seeing a food revolution take place before our eyes. With increasing global demand, animal welfare issues and pressing environmental concerns, many are questioning whether conventional agricultural practices are sustainable.

These challenges are driving exciting new developments in ‘future food technologies’, such as those which involve Cellular Agriculture, plant-and microorganism-based alternative meat products, genetic manipulation of plants, or which employ novel food sources such as insects. Such innovative technologies have the potential to provide sustainable, affordable and secure nutrition for the ever-growing global population.

Cellular Agriculture - also commonly known as cultured meat or clean meat, involves growing populations of animal cells, often skeletal muscle cells from cows and pigs, by culturing them in vitro. Studies have suggested that lab-grown meat will use a fraction of the land, water and antibiotics used in traditional agricultural practices, and will be associated with dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Cellular agriculture doesn't stop there though - it can be used to engineer a whole host of animal derived products such as milk, leather and silk. We have seen significant investment in this area with US based start ups Just and Memphis Meats attracting significant attention and governments are starting to take notice - Singapore has recently allocated substantial funds to R&D in this area. Investment firms such as Agronomics are nurturing portfolios of firms that will help cultured meat come to fruition as a go-to consumer product.

Plant based proteins - in the search for sourcing more protein for human consumption, the plant based protein alternative market is now booming. Plants and fungi have a lower carbon footprint and healthier nutritional profile compared to meat from livestock. Whilst traditional plant-based meat alternatives made from processed plant material, such as tofu, tempeh and seitan, have been eaten for centuries, in recent years plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) have emerged as a new class of plant-based proteins. Their aim is not to simply to provide a plant-based protein source, but to closely mimic conventional meat - that is to say, they are not just an alternative to meat, but a like-for-like substitution.

Plant engineering technologies  - faced with intense pressure to increase the productivity of crops, scientists and plant breeders are increasingly looking at methods of engineering crops. Developments in marker assisted breeding and genomic selection breeding can reduce the time taken for the development of new varieties of crops. Developments in computational biology and genomics approaches can be used to identify candidates for gene-editing, a notable example being RNA-guided CRISPR technology

It is clear that in the search for more sustainable food sources, there are plenty of opportunities for innovation. Public perception and regulation will play a significant role in determining the impact of these technologies. Building a strong brand will be crucial in fostering public trust. Innovators will need to approach regulatory and consumer confidence challenges as seriously as they would any technical hurdles. 

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Green IP Report

Green IP Report

Patents are both a driver and a barometer of innovation

Our report examines the role of patents in making innovative ‘green’ technologies into a reality as well as how the patent landscape can be used to identify opportunities for partnering, collaboration and investment.

We share our enthusiasm and admiration for commercially-focused innovation across a diverse range of technologies, from repurposing carbon dioxide to make protein-rich foods, to the multi-faceted approach to a circular plastics economy. We also discuss the tantalising prospect of AI-mediated renewable energy supply, and the harnessing of battery tech from the EV boom to drive energy efficiency in consumer devices. This report reflects our passion for technology solutions that tackle our shared global challenge. 

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Meet our Future Food Team

Nick Sutcliffe

Partner, Patent Attorney

Adam Gregory - high quality

Partner, Patent Attorney

Rhiannon Wescott

IP Director, Patent Attorney

Chris-Denison

Partner, Patent Attorney

Eleanor Maciver.-1

Partner, Patent Attorney

anna mudge

Senior Associate, Patent Attorney

Jacqueline Pang

Partner, Chartered Trade Mark Attorney

OUR PEOPLE
Jim Mellon Podcast

Cellular agriculture and the new agrarian revolution

PODCAST WITH JIM MELLON

Jim Mellon, investor in innovation, entrepreneur and author, joins us for our Forward podcast. With insights from Jim's latest book, Moo's Law: An investor's guide to the new agrarian revolution, this episode tackles the subject of cellular agriculture. Caitlin Mackesy Davies, editor of Mewburn Ellis Forward, speaks to Jim about the new technologies and ventures that are taking on the challenge of providing alternatives to current agriculture, particularly animal farming. 

 

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