Monday, September 6th marked the official beginning of the 21-day Vegan Kickstart campaign sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), in an effort to promote vegan diets and healthier lifestyles.

Day by day, evidence of the growing economic power of vegetarian food-seeking consumers continues to mount, telling us that “veg” is here to stay. What’s the evidence of this growing economic force, you ask? A quick scan of recent headlines gives the lowdown on the growth of “vegenomics.”

A newly published survey of nearly 6,000 vegetarians from the United Kingdom estimates that vegetarians make up about 6% of the adult U.K. population. Moreover, “lapsed vegetarians” (those who tried the diet and moved away) make up about one-tenth of the U.K. population.

Vegetarian dietary habits often begin at an early age. According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Vegetarian Resource Group, about 3% or 1.4 million U.S. youths between the ages of 8 and 18 are vegetarian, and two-thirds of this group may be classified as vegan.

A new report from the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council of North America (CCRRC) finds that economic realities are keeping consumers dining at home. For grocery stores, this trend is a boon, boosting in-store food sales by as much as 3.2% according to the CCRRC. Additional research from The Nielsen Company affirms this finding; estimates say that as many as 46% of American households are eating out less frequently.