Confectionery companies filed fewer applications for patents in the year to the end of June, data suggests.

Between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, confectionery makers lodged a combined 2,864 applications for patents to be approved, GlobalData, Just Food’s parent, suggests.

In the corresponding period a year later, that number dropped by 22% to 2,223, the research and intelligence group said.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics database contains global figures on the patents filed – and granted – by businesses across multiple sectors. Each patent is classified by theme, including those linked to areas such as the environment or health and wellness.

Most of the patents filed in both of the years under review were classified as being related to ‘health and wellness’, GlobalData said. Similar to the overall number of applications, there was a decline in patents being filed that were linked to health and wellness, falling from 749 to 576.

Looking at where the patents were filed, China topped the list in both years, with 934 in the year to the end of June 2022 and 719 a year later.

The US saw the second-highest number of applications among confectionery companies in both years under review.

Each week, Just Food’s journalists analyse data on patent filings and grants that illustrate innovation trends in our sector. These patent signals show where the leading companies are focusing their research and development investment – and why. We uncover key innovation areas in the sector and the themes that drive them.

This new, thematic patents coverage is powered by our underlying Disruptor data, which tracks all major deals, patents, company filings, hiring patterns and social media buzz across our sectors.