Fresh Slice New Zealand Ltd granted use of products covered by patent

AgriCoat NatureSeal Ltd, together with its US associate NatureSeal, Inc. (collectively referred to as the "NatureSeal Companies") announced that an agreement has been reached with New Zealand fruit processor, Fresh Slice New Zealand Ltd (Fresh Slice) of Havelock North, New Zealand, granting Fresh Slice permission to purchase from the NatureSeal Companies' products covered by New Zealand patent No 502686.

This patent, entitled "Methods for Preserving Fresh Fruit" is jointly held with the United States Department of Ag (USDA) and covers the range of "NatureSeal" products. The patent concerns methods for preserving fresh fruit with preservatives which extend the shelf life of fresh fruit. The patent is registered worldwide.

President of the NatureSeal Companies, William Barrie, explained that "The Company has invested a large amount of time and money in R&D and as such, is committed to protecting its intellectual property rights against manufacturers, processors or other unauthorised users of products which infringe the NatureSeal Companies' patent. The scope of the patent means that third parties cannot use the method for preserving fresh fruit, as set out in the patent, unless they use NatureSeal products, otherwise they will be infringing the patent."

NatureSeal is also engaged in similar actions in Australia, North America, UK and Europe and anticipates further settlements will be reached soon. William Barrie adds "It is clearly important that we bring clarity to the situation. We have many loyal and reputable customers with whom we have partnered for several years. These companies respect the intellectual property owned by the NatureSeal Companies and recognise that the NatureSeal products have become the enabling technology for an entire category of fresh cut fruits and vegetables. The fresh cut market continues to be driven by innovation, convenience and the community’s desire for a healthy lifestyle."

Now that a commercial agreement has been realised, the NatureSeal Companies look forward to supplying Fresh Slice with the NatureSeal products.

For further information:
Simon Matthews
NatureSeal Ltd
Ph: +44 (780) 167 0250
Email: simon.matthews@agricoat.co.uk