Welcome Page From Commodities to Healthy Consumers Speakers Profiles Agenda Venue and Accommodations Contact From Commodities to Healthy Consumers Nobody is buying a boatload of anything anymore            David Hughes, Imperial College, London, UK. The Saskatoon Symposium focuses on the importance of identifying global trends to create possibilities here at home. Commodities - The New Reality Farmers and countries that depend on commodity exports have to contend with the long-term decline and short-term volatility of real commodity prices on international markets. While increased productivity and new producers fuel rapid increases in supplies, demand for commodities rises slowly, even in the face of falling prices and rising consumer incomes. How can we deal with the new reality that countries like Canada can no longer compete in low cost commodities? We have to look for new possibilities and opportunities for sustainable economic growth. You are what you eat! Today, increasingly health conscious consumers understand the meaning of this well-known phrase. The nutrients we consume through foods break down, replace old cells and become part of our new cell structure - and we literally become what we eat. Knowledgeable and informed consumers want a healthy and quality lifestyle and are willing to make the decisions needed to make that happen. Predictions are that the value of the functional foods and nutraceuticals industry will expand significantly over the next decade, promising to become a major segment of the agri-food industry. It is estimated that the value of the industry will reach US $300 billion globally by 2010. What are the impacts and opportunities for food-producing nations of this growing consumer wave?