In today’s marketplace, engaging with customers and potential customers goes well beyond coupons and newspaper ads. In fact, today, many consumers actually invite businesses into their lives through social media. More commonly known as Facebook, Twitter, and a score of other upcoming platforms, businesses can now interact directly and publicly with a nearly infinite number of potential customers, making it critically important to establish and define a sound set of guidelines and procedures by which your business will engage with consumers.

According to the 2010 Consumer Food Safety Study by Deloitte, greater numbers of consumers are doing research and reading food labels more carefully when compared with 2008, but fewer people are concerned about food safety issues. This latest study is yet another indicator of the growing savvy of today’s food consumers.

The modern history of Meatless Monday as a public health campaign has taken the meat-reducing agenda to new heights. Now an international health movement to encourage consumers to go one meat-free day per week for better health and a better environment, Meatless Monday is making in-roads onto dining tables everywhere… in schools, restaurants, and in homes.

Selling vegetarian in today’s market doesn’t mean just selling to vegetarians, it simply means selling vegetarian. Case in point — the number of vegetarians has remained relatively stable in recent years, but the number of meat reducing consumers has increased steadily. Therefore, in order for vegetarian businesses to grow, they must appeal to the larger group of meat reducing consumers who are moving closer toward a vegetarian diet with every meal.