They are also making sure that everyone has something to eat, with new salads, chicken dishes, and vegetarian entrees.

FORBES: Low Cost, Less Seafood: Red Lobster's Recipe for Buzz Boost

Outside those who have a clear philosophical platform for eschewing meat, there are increasing numbers of these people, either cutting down on meat or trying not to eat it where possible, but without necessarily ever calling themselves "vegetarian".

BBC: The rise of the non-veggie vegetarian

That was certainly me at the time: I arrived in Spain with a long list of things I didn't eat, which included any flesh, as I was going through my teenage vegetarian phase.

WSJ: Escabeche: A Seafood Dish for the Fish-Phobe

Jonathan Safran Foer, the bestselling novelist, has published articles declaring that he is raising his kids vegetarian because of the environmental consequences of meat farming and that if people are going to eat meat, they should consider eating dogs.

FORBES: Technology

This is the fact that the French tend to eat fatty diets rich in red meat but to have the survival characteristics of those whose diets are lean and vegetarian.

ECONOMIST: Abolishing ageing

And a growing number of travel companies, from tour guides to vegan or vegetarian hotels, are doing what they can to make sure you can have your vegan cake and eat it too.

FORBES: Vegan Recipes for Adventure: Meat-Free Vacations