Food Science & Packaging

Sterne Kessler’s integrated team of patent prosecutors, litigators, and IP strategists help packaged food companies leverage IP to increase shareholder value.

Our food science and packaging team delivers integrated IP strategies to food and beverage companies. We help clients protect innovations involving the technical aspects of food, including development of new food products, preservation of food products, prevention of food quality degradation, and the processes to create packaged foods.

We know that global demand increasingly influences the discipline known as food science. Food processing companies are responding with new innovations across a range of technologies (process, product and packaging).

Sterne Kessler’s food science team is committed to ensuring clients extract the maximum value from their intellectual property portfolio, so our team leverages a full suite of protection and enforcement options across a range of sectors, including:

Canned and frozen food
Fish and seafood
Flavorings, spices and other ingredients
Nutraceuticals
Beverages
Sweeteners

In the area of food packaging, consumers are making their voices heard for better and safer products that are packaged with environmentally friendly materials. Savvy businesses are responding to the call with innovations in several areas including safety and freshness, convenience, health and nutrition, environmentally friendly packaging and design.

Our food science and packaging team works on many ground breaking packaging innovations. And, we monitor the latest trends and advances in food packaging technologies using a range of materials such as glass, plastic, light metal and paperboard, as well as packaging techniques like aseptic, active, controlled atmosphere storage and modified atmosphere packaging.

Our team brings a number of differentiating capabilities to bear on behalf of packaged food companies, including:

Design patents. Sterne Kessler has one of the most experienced design patents practices in the world. Our experience protecting designs is sought by top companies that understand that the aesthetic value of food packaging solutions can be as important as safety and freshness solutions.
Branding, labeling and advertising. Our team assists companies in product label review and claim substantiation, ensuring they can withstand scrutiny and avoid legal challenges (such as a Lanham Act false advertising challenge). Our review includes trademark and copyright clearance and freedom to operate, as well as country of origin issues.
Litigation. Naturally, as science helps bring new products to market, litigation can be expected. Our litigation team has years of experience litigating issues such as challenges to new packaging, food additives and government seizure of food products. Additionally, we have represented companies both offensively and defensively, in false advertising cases under federal and state statutes.