Has the science of nutrition benefited from the food industry?

The influence of the food industry on the development of the scientific investigation of nutrition is of particular current interest, since it has been proposed that industry, in general, should shoulder more of the burden of financial support for basic research in the UK. It is apposite, therefore, to enquire whether the track record of the food industry gives confidence that it will accept a responsibility to support this branch of science and, if it does, whether it will discharge that responsibility vigorously and disinterestedly. Perhaps even more important than past history, however, is the attitude of contemporary food industry policy makers towards the funding of basic research, in general, and their perception of the relevance of nutrition to their commercial activities, in particular. Much of the discussion of these issues is clouded by some misconceptions both as to the role of basic research (as opposed to applied research) in the success of businesses and also of the scientific disciplines most relevant to the food industry. These misunderstandings are not confined to the minds of non-industrial commentators, but are sometimes found in surprisingly senior food industry personnel. Comparisons are often made with the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. But these industries rely on a broad basic and applied science base for the development of new products and for new processes for making these products. They are also heavily dependent on a knowledge of toxicology and ecology, for example, to prevent disasters and to clear up after mistakes when they occur. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that these industries invest to a substantial extent in the sciences of chemistry (in all its forms), pharmacology, toxicology, process and chemical engineering, biology, ecology and so on, both fundamental and applied. Similarly, engineering enterprises, whether mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, aeronautical or nuclear, rely on a science base to initiate new ventures and to clear up the debris of past mistakes. Their commercial businesses grew, to a large extent, out of science, and they maintain their commercial momentum on the basis of science. The same is, at least partly, true of the food industry, but, within the industry, the relevant scientific discipline is largely seen as ‘food science’. Nutrition is thought to be in the sphere of the consumer and relevant to the use to which the food products are put, rather than the making of them.