Dear Jurian,
This is not the first instance of this type of patent. About three years ago I was aware of a move by a commercial interest to patent N isotope analysis to determine whether veggies were organically grown or not.
There may be grounds for concern given the general quality of patent reviews, the sheer volume of patents going through. And look at the company they keep - electric dog walkers, explosive-powered golf clubs...
Hopefully the reviewer's opinion for this patent will hold sway. It also appears that others can offer comment on the first website that you provide (I could not use the the second URL that you provide)

Robert Van Hale

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stable Isotope Geochemistry [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Hoogewerff Jurian Dr (CAP)
> Sent: Friday, 1 May 2009 3:12 a.m.
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [ISOGEOCHEM] patenting nature and its isotopes
> 
> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> It has been brought to my attention that a recently filed patent
> application in the US aims to patent the use of nature's isotopes for
> food and other authentication purposes.
> 
> Please have a look at the following patent application in the public
> domain at http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090042304
> or
> http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-
> Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u
> =%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-
> bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=%22
> METHOD+ANALYZING+FOODS%22.TTL.&OS=TTL/%22METHOD+FOR+ANALYZING+FOODS%22&
> R
> S=TTL/%22METHOD+FOR+ANALYZING+FOODS%22
> 
> Of course trying to patent prior art is outrageous and patenting nature
> presumptuous.
> 
> Any comments?
> 
> Best regards, Jurian Hoogewerff
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dr. Jurian Hoogewerff
> 
> Senior Lecturer Forensic Geochemistry
> Centre for Forensic Provenancing
> School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy
> University of East Anglia
> Norwich, NR4 7TJ
> United Kingdom
> 
> 
> Phone at UEA: +44 (0)1603 593983 office or 593128 lab
> Voicebox: +44 (0)2032 394409
> Email: [log in to unmask]