According to results from the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s 2010 Health and Wellness survey, healthy foods are on the rise. Survey results show that, in response to consumer demand for healthier products, “food and beverage companies eliminated or reduced trans fat in more than 10,000 products, eliminated or reduced saturated fat in more than 6,600 products…”

Conducted prior to the food industry’s most recent egg scare, the report Food Safety Certification: A Study of Food Safety in the U.S. Supply Chain by DNV Business Assurance finds that food safety concerns can significantly influence the shopping behaviors of consumers and the business practices of food manufacturers, retailers, and distributors. In the survey of more than 400 consumers and 73 food companies, almost half of respondents said they changed shopping patterns because of food safety issues.

In newly released findings from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the number of farmers markets continues to grow at a significant pace, increasing by 16% in the past year alone. Consumer focus on personal health and green issues are the likely drivers behind this growth, as study after study shows continued interest in these topics.

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.”

Earlier this month, Compassion in World Farming recognized 30 companies with Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards for showing compassion for farmed animals and making strides toward higher welfare products. Various organizations were given awards from three categories, including the Good Egg Award, the Good Chicken Award, and the Supermarket Award.