Health Canada is in the process of modifying Canada's Food Guide, and these proposed changes have members of the ag industry concerned.

The second public consultation wrapped up on Monday.

Guiding principles were created from the first public consultation, and Issues Manager with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Tom Lynch-Staunton, says the concern comes specifically from the first guiding principle which is encouraging plant based proteins.

"We feel there's a clear bias towards promoting a plant based protein, when we don't believe the nutritional evidence is there to support that's better than an animal based protein."

Lynch-Staunton says, they absolutely agree it's important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but feel the principle implies plant based proteins are better for you. If the changes go through as is, a decrease in meat consumption could be seen across the Canada.

"When you look at the nutritional density of animal based proteins like meat, milk, and eggs, you not only get a tremendous amount of protein within small amounts, you also get a variety of other nutrients in there like iron, vitamin B12, and zinc that we all need to eat healthy."

He believes this may have to do with fear which used to surround saturated fat. Lynch-Staunton says there is now overwhelming evidence showing the benefits of saturated fats, and removing saturated fats from your diet can cause harm.

Now, the only thing they can do is hope Health Canada digs deeper into the issue to find this scientific evidence.

Even after public consultation closes, Lynch-Staunton says if you have concerns, express them through a letter to Health Canada.