Getting your foot in the door can be the hardest part of attracting new customers, particularly with once-upon-a-time niche items like vegetarian foods. However, with new business models sprouting up each day, more and more options are becoming available to get the word out.

Standing out from the crowd is a challenge that all businesses face, whether they are vegetarian-oriented or not. But, with consumer interest in ethical foods on the rise, one possibility for veg businesses to stand out is by partnering with like-minded nonprofit organizations.

According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), its members are changing the way they reach out to children and reducing the types and numbers of advertisements that promote “obesity-type” trends. Instead, kids today are seeing more ads for healthier food choices, which could be great news for vegetarian food businesses.

Decision-making is a complex process that varies from individual to individual. Moreover, research by the University of Minnesota finds that our emotions can play a big part in the choices we make because people anticipate how a certain choice will make them feel.

According to Whole Foods Market’s annual Food Shopping Trends Tracker Survey, consumer shopping, cooking, and eating habits in America continue to change, prodded along, of course, by the economy.