The European patent office in Munich has determined that a patent claimed on a baby food ingredient by Numico is not valid, news agency ANP reports.

The Kruidvat drug store chain made the announcement on Thursday, having initiated the case against Numico.
The two companies have been clashing over the patent issue since 2005, when Kruidvat launched its own-brand baby milk that Numico believed to be too similar to its own product.