People who write popular books about diet and health are often crusaders so convinced they have discovered the secret to battling the bulge or improving health, they feel an overwhelming desire to spread the word.

What's powdery, white, some would say addictive, and guaranteed to get politicians frothing at the mouth? No, not crack cocaine, but something 99% of us have in our store cupboards: sugar. As innocuous as it might seem, the white stuff lurking in our favourite foods and drinks is rapidly turning into public enemy number one as we look for someone to blame for our expanding waistlines.

Amid all the whingeing about Europe's Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that this much-maligned piece of legislation could open a lot of doors that are currently slammed shut, says Dr Peter Olesen.

Jo Bruce likes to get things done. Whether she's helping a baker reduce saturated fat in a sponge or explaining enzymatic interesterification to a journalist who doesn't know his fatty acids from his elbow, Pura Foods' research project manager gets her kicks out of delivering tangible results.

Type 'Julian Stowell' into Google and the first entry that comes up refers to gigs from a 1970s rock band going by the rather dubious name of 'Easy Action'. Persist a little further and you will find some grainy black and white photos featuring the science director of Danisco Sweeteners strutting his stuff on keyboards. "We played pretty middle of the road stuff - Eagles, Dire Straits, that kind of thing," says Stowell, who still plays piano. "But I loved it. Music is a great way to relax".

Whether it's poisoning our kids with additives, fiddling with plant genes or sending us all to an early grave with a touch of partial hydrogenation, the food industry is public enemy number one for the media. And who is wheeled out to defend it?

Flying by the seat of your pants is something sales people are pretty adept at, admits Orafti's new joint md Dominique Speleers, but it's no way to run a business."For two years now, I've forced myself to build preparation time for things into my diary," he says. "If you don't do this, you end up fire fighting all the time instead of setting your own agenda. Preparation is crucial. It's the difference between being reactive and being able to think strategically about how you want to move forward."

Success in functional ingredients comes down to three things, says Jens Bleiel: "An understanding of consumer needs and market trends; partnerships with customers; and scientifically substantiated health claims."

When I first joined the company in 1991, manufacturers would come to me and say, 'I want this ingredient'," says Pauline Taggart. "Then it developed into, 'I have this technical problem, what's the solution?'" Fast forward 15 years, she says, "and it sometimes feels more like they are saying 'this is what marketing would like me to do, and I would like you to do it instead'!"