We all know that tasty vegetarian cuisine is being served up in restaurants around the country as consumer interest in animal-friendly and healthy eating continues to gain popularity, but did you know that you can now find scrumptious vegetarian bites on wheels? That’s right, those rolling food trucks that bring quick, convenient, low cost meals to your offices are now starting to serve a healthy dose of veg friendly meal options.

While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has seen nutritional guidelines change a number of times over the past several decades, the Obamas recently announced an overhaul to the familiar Food Guide Pyramid. Government-recommended nutritional guidelines are now featured with a more intuitive “ChooseMyPlate” dinner plate symbol.

Commonly known to the rest of the world for its exotic tastes and diverse food preferences, the Chinese have been through several shifts in food psychology. After a long history of mostly vegetable-based diets, due mostly to economic reasons, in the last few decades meat consumption has quintupled, a sign of greater wealth and prosperity among the people.

What a great week it’s been for veg on the pop culture scene! In a roundup of recent news, vegetarianism has made a true Hollywood style splash in a string of celebrity and entertainment buzz about everything from America’s favorite past time to Katy Perry — here’s what we got for you!

New research from the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 2011 Food & Health Survey finds that, in light of continued economic troubles, price is nearly as an important as taste to U.S. consumers when making food purchases. Specifically, taste ranks as most important for 87% of consumers, with price following closely behind; 79% of consumers now consider price as a top priority, compared with 64% in 2006.