A23 FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
Description
A23 encompasses the preparation, processing, treatment, and preservation of food products and non-alcoholic beverages across all stages from raw materials to finished consumer products. The class covers manufacturing technologies including cooking, mixing, fermentation, drying, freezing, and chemical preservation methods, as well as equipment and apparatus used in food production facilities. It includes innovations in food safety, quality control, nutritional enhancement, and shelf-life extension, but excludes alcoholic beverages (covered by C12C) and agricultural production methods for growing crops or raising animals (covered by A01).
Filing statistics
CPC A23 recorded 936,758 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 11 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 57,505 in 2013 to 63,079 in 2023 (+10%), peaking at 119,080 applications in 2018. The most active applicants in class A23 are NESTLE (5,075 applications), NESTEC (3,916 applications) and DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) (2,558 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
11 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- A23B PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
- A23C DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; PREPARATION THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B11/00)
- A23D EDIBLE OILS OR FATS, e.g. MARGARINES, SHORTENINGS OR COOKING OILS (preservation thereof A23B20/00; production, refinement or preservation of animal or vegetable fats or oils C11B, C11C)
- A23F COFFEE; TEA; THEIR SUBSTITUTES; MANUFACTURE, PREPARATION, OR INFUSION THEREOF
- A23G COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- A23J PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS
- A23K FODDER
- A23L FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- A23N MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING HARVESTED FRUIT, VEGETABLES OR FLOWER BULBS IN BULK, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PEELING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT IN BULK; APPARATUS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL FEEDING- STUFFS (machines for cutting straw or fodder A01F29/00; disintegrating, e.g. shredding, B02C; severing, e.g. cutting, splitting, slicing B26B, B26D)
- A23P SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS
- A23V INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filings, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- NESTLE CH 5,075
- NESTEC CH 3,916
- DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) NL 2,558
- JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 2,196
- SUNTORY HOLDINGS JP 2,133
- CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 1,842
- CARGILL US 1,708
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA (RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) KR 1,341
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,279
- MARS US 1,161