Food for thought - The IP toolbox for nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals are products that provide health and medicinal benefits, including the prevention and treatment of diseases in addition to the basic nutritional value.

In contrast to the natural herbs and spices used as folk medicine for centuries throughout Asia, the nutraceutical industry has grown alongside the expansion and exploration of modern technology.

To date, nutraceuticals are one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry. The market is driven by an increase in life expectancy, subsequent increase in lifestyle diseases, a shift towards natural ingredients and a growing understanding within the customer population of the link between diet and health

Furthermore, nutraceuticals have the potential to substantially reduce the expensive, high-tech, disease treatment approaches presently being employed in Western healthcare. Israel is being considered as a key innovation center for the global nutraceutical industry. Thus, nutraceutical products represent an excellent growth opportunity for the Israeli Agro-food academics and industrialists but, to stay competitive, they must take appropriate actions to develop, preserve and protect their intellectual property rights. This presentation will provide overview of the different intellectual property (IP) rights which may be applicable to functional foods and nutraceuticals and provide stakeholders with a tool box on how to maximize their protection and to emulate their commercial achievements

The IP tool box will be briefly reviewed; it includes Patents, Plant Breeder’s rights, copyrights, trademarks, trade-secrets, trade-dress, and confidentiality provisions. Means and methods for appropriate application of the toolbox will be elaborated, in step with the nutraceuticals developments in R&D, regulation and early commercialization will vastly increase the chances of high value monetization.