K-Food Boom Keeps Food Patents Above 5,000 for Three Years

Food-sector patent filings in South Korea have topped 5,000 each year over the past three years. The trend is seen as linked to the spread of K-food at home and abroad, which has encouraged more food technology development and efforts to secure intellectual property. According to Yonhap News Agency, filings related to health functional foods continued, while bakery products and K-sauces also showed rapid growth. The popularity of K-food is moving beyond consumption growth and into competition over recipes, product differentiation and functional improvements. Industry observers see food-related intellectual property as a factor that could affect overseas expansion and brand competitiveness. Source: yna.co.kr