The European Patent Office revoked an EU patent held by Impossible Foods, maker of the Impossible Burger. Impossible Food’s fake meat products are manufactured with GMO yeast-derived from soy leghemoglobin, which may not be safe to eat.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has revoked a European Union (EU) patent held by Impossible Foods, maker of the Impossible Burger.

In the U.S., Impossible’s fake meat products are manufactured with GMO yeast-derived soy leghemoglobin, a controversial ingredient that makes the fake meat look as if it’s bleeding, like undercooked real meat, and that we have argued may not be safe to eat.

Following the EPO’s decision, another fake meat company, Motif FoodWorks, has filed a suite of new petitions with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office challenging U.S. patents held by Impossible Foods over the use of heme proteins (such as that present in soy leghemoglobin) in meat alternatives, as it defends itself against Impossible’s accusations of patent infringement, according to Food Navigator USA.

Fake meat industry ‘a flop’

The news about Impossible’s patent fights comes in the wake of an article by Bloomberg describing the rapid decline in the fake meat industry, which it branded “a flop.” The article is titled, “Fake meat was supposed to save the world. It became just another fad.”

Impossible shares, the article said, are currently trading at around $12 — about half the price during its last fundraising round.