While most firms are still trying to get across singular functional food messages, such as heart or brain health, one expert is confident that consumers are ready for a more complex message.

Food companies operate on slim margins at the best of times, so backing the right horse when it comes to allocating limited R&D resources is absolutely critical, says Dr Diederick Meyer - the man in charge of setting the research agenda at Dutch ingredients giant Sensus - a subsidiary of farmer-owned Royal Cosun Group.

Bob Fisher loves his job. "I always knew I wanted to be in applied science. I'm a nuts and bolts kind of guy. I don't believe in science for the sake of science. I love to create products for consumers because I want to make a difference. I have this sense of urgency. I always want to do more."

A few jaws dropped when Chris Lightfoot decided to give up a glittering career in the restaurant business and try his hand as a development chef. A brief glance at his resumé should explain why... 1991-93: Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons under the tutelage of Raymond Blanc; 1993: Harvey's with Marco Pierre White (who won three Michelin stars aged just 33); 1994: Heatcotes Longridge with Paul Heatcotes and Andy Barnes;1994-96: Gidleigh Park with Michael Caines.

Imagine a world without additives - it's easy if you try. Well, yes and no, says the executive secretary of the Food Additives and Ingredients Association (FAIA), a small but vocal trade body attempting to rise above the storm of criticism raining down upon unsuspecting E-numbers from an equally small, but even more vocal band of journalists and lobbyists.

For someone without a scientific background, having to wax lyrical about metabolic pathways and the merits of different long-chain fatty acids was a bit of a culture shock for Jeff Bernfeld when he arrived at Martek Biosciences in January. But whether you need a degree in chemistry to understand your products or not, you are still running a business, he says. "The science and the clinical research underpinning everything Martek does are incredibly important, but someone, at some point, has got to pay for your products."

One in 10 people employed by DMV International works in research and development (R&D), which tells you something about its priorities as a business.

Formed in 1997 by the merger of Avonmore and Waterford Foods, Ireland's largest dairy processor did not get off to an auspicious start, with many analysts writing it off as one of the biggest corporate disasters of the decade as its debt mountain soared and the profit warnings came in thick and fast.

Katinka Abbenbroek's description of Lipid Nutrition - "young and focused" - could just as easily apply to its new boss. Propelled into the hot seat of one of the most exciting ingredients businesses around - just seven years after walking through the front door - Abbenbroek is on a mission to double the size of the outfit within three years.