If you love data and want to know more about the consumers or markets for your products, you’ll be excited to learn about the new Food Environment Atlas launched this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This interesting and useful online mapping tool provides an abundance of data relating to consumer food choices, health and well-being, and community characteristics.

Sometimes checking the pulse on what consumers are saying is easier than you think. Sometimes it just takes the click of the mouse and you can catch a glimpse of what consumers are thinking, feeling, and eating!

In late 2008, the Dutch Vegetarian Association studied the environmental consequences of substituting vegetable proteins for animal proteins in the Dutch diet. By looking at both the product and menu levels of consumer diets, the environmental burdens of both types of products were analyzed and researchers drew several conclusions about the environmental impact a change in diet from animal to vegetable proteins might have.

A new report from Mintel cites a 30% decline in new product launches across all food and drink categories over the past year, which represents one of the most significant declines in new product introductions over the last decade. This slowing is due to the weak economy, as many smaller companies have slowed or stopped their new product introductions altogether.