Local farmers are taking stock of major changes Health Canada made this week to Canada’s Food Guide.
The food guide many Canadians grew up with, first published in 1942, provides tips for healthy eating and used to focus on four food groups, — dairy, meat, grains, and fruits and vegetables.
The new version released this week encourages Canadians to “make water your drink of choice,” eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, choose whole grain foods and to eat more plant-based proteins. Products that were once big at the table — like meat and dairy — have been put on the back-burner.
Surrey turkey farmer Michael Bose, whose family runs the Bose Corn Maze, weighed in on the new guide.
“I feel disappointed that animal protein was left off, and all the reporting was negative toward agriculture,” he told the Now-Leader. “Even though all foods listed are produced through agriculture. Agriculture was targeted as a special interest group influencing the old guides, but the non-agriculture groups advocating for this were not.”
Surrey farmer Mike Bose. (File photo)
“The best part of the new guide is the emphasis on fresh foods and away from processed and fast food,” Bose said.
John Van Keulen of Surrey’s Donia Farms, a third-generation dairy farm founded in 1955, said Wednesday he hadn’t yet had a chance to review the new guidelines “to offer a comment on behalf of our farm.”
READ ALSO: B.C. dairy farmers say milk cup is half full in new Canada Food Guide
READ ALSO: Happy New Year, Surrey – now get ready to pay more
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram  and follow Tom on Twitter
