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.

Readers may find this article from Jasmin Malik Chua of LiveScience of interest for reference and potential marketing purposes. The article presents a lengthy glossary of “green” consumer technology, including some with particular relevance to the vegetarian foods industry, such as community-supported agriculture, locavore, slow food, and others.

What’s in a name? Apparently quite a bit, says research conducted through the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. Their recent report entitled, “Do Descriptive Menu Labels Influence Restaurant Sales and Repatronage” (PDF file, 189k), concludes that what you name a food can have a significant impact on the likelihood that somebody will choose the item. Perhaps even more interestingly, a product’s name can also impact the consumer’s satisfaction with the food after consumption.