The consumer industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by convenience, health and wellness, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as food safety and transparency, alternative proteins, and 3D food printer. In the last three years alone, there have been over 450,000 patents filed and granted in the consumer industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Consumer: Allergy alleviating foods.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
40+ innovations will shape the consumer industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the consumer industry using innovation intensity models built on over 110,000 patents, there are 40+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, hydrogel dressings, dextrin-based compositions, and safety injection needles are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Wet wipes dispenser, carbon fibre sports equipment, and cigarette rod making device are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are portable toothbrush cases and anabolic muscle supplements, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the consumer industry
Allergy alleviating foods is a key innovation area in consumer
Certain foods containing anti-histamine molecules in abundance serve as alternatives to anti-allergic medicines. These foods contain corticosteroid compositions and help to alleviate allergies in consumers.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 10+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of allergy alleviating foods.
Key players in allergy alleviating foods – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to allergy alleviating foods
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Nestle | 30 | Unlock company profile |
| CJ CheilJedang | 30 | Unlock company profile |
| Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc | 23 | Unlock company profile |
| GI Innovation | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| NVP Healthcare | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Meiji Holdings | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Alladapt Immunotherapeutics | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| HOYU | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Helixmith | 10 | Unlock company profile |
| Knoze Jr | 9 | Unlock company profile |
| Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| SATS | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| KoBioLabs | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Rohm | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina UA | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Nestle is one of the leading patent filers in allergy alleviating foods. Some other key patent filers in this space include CJ CheilJedang, Reckitt Benckiser Group, GI Innovation, and NVP Healthcare. Nestle Health Science invested in Before Brands, which specialises in the prevention of early childhood food allergies. Before Brands’ SpoonfulOneTM line is one of the most advanced childhood nutritional products available in the market. It helps to reduce the risk of food allergies with 16 key allergens.
In terms of application diversity, HOYU leads the pack. Reckitt Benckiser Group and Knoze Jr. stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, NVP Healthcare held the top position followed by Reckitt Benckiser Group and Alladapt Immunotherapeutics.
Foods that help to alleviate allergies will become more common in the future, bringing more awareness among consumers. With consumers increasingly seeking natural products to keep healthy, these allergy alleviating foods will gain greater importance and inclusion in diets.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Consumer.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
