Striving for a healthier more “balanced” diet seems to be one of everyone’s top goals these days. It’s as if a health craze has taken over our country in the last few years. The vending industry has had to adjust to this societal change and start providing healthier snacks and beverages in their machines. Though the big question remains, is this just a trend or is this the new normal? What is driving the transition to healthier vending options?
Health Food Transformation Through Vending & Micro Markets
Several companies were early adopters of offering healthy items, getting guidance from a nutritionist and working to create programs with hospitals and companies with corporate wellness plans. People are indeed buying better-choice items. One reason is that the better-for-you items have transformed in the last decade. They used to taste like cardboard, but today manufacturers are offering great-tasting lines of snack mixes, bars, teas and waters, and even higher-end items like coconut water.
Not only is the taste getting better, but the availability of these items is growing as well. Why? Thanks to initiatives like the “Let’s Move” campaign and a national trend to eat healthier, consumer demand for these products is driving businesses and schools to offer higher quality foods in vending machines and micro markets.
An Answer To The Growing Demand For Healthier Vending Options
PepsiCo provides a great example of a company following this health-conscious movement. They recently revealed their “Hello Goodness™” vending initiative, with vending units offering “better- and good-for-you” product choices from the company’s food and beverage line.
Not only are companies offering healthy items, many are changing their products to fit these shifting consumer preferences.
“Consumers are looking for the kind of convenience that fits their desire for a healthier lifestyle.” – PepsiCo
The Success of Selling Healthier Snacks
In the industry as of late, many vending and micro market operators have found ways to incorporate better-for-you items in their plans, even if they aren’t top selling items. In vending that might mean creating an entire “healthy” plan for companies with a wellness focus. Or it may mean offering several versions of trendy, tasty, good-for-you items with a sticker indicating they are “healthier.”
Micro markets have more ability to sell these healthy food and beverage products due to the customers being able to pick up the product and read the label. One recommendation is placing all good-for-you food and beverage items in one location and drawing attention to the area with signage or an eye catching machine design.
Vending machines have been so successful in changing the way people snack on healthier foods — which improves life on a personal level, at the workplace, and raises the bar in our overall nutrition as a country — that the Wall Street Journal featured a video story on the matter back on October 20th of 2010.
“A new wave of vending machines aims to convince Americans to snack on healthier foods.” – WSJ
New Jersey Healthy Vending Options
Regardless of the reasons for its growth, the healthy food movement is predicted to continue into the rest of 2017 and beyond. Atlantic Vending is a leading provider of healthy vending machine options throughout New Jersey.
To qualify as a “healthy snack,” each food item must pass our criteria: No more than 7 grams of fat, 260 calories, 250 mg sodium. These standards ensure that your vending machine or micro market is at least 15% healthier than traditional vending options. We partner with the most trusted brands in the industry, including brands known for their dedication to health.
Are your vending machines stocked with the right foods? Let us help you meet consumer demand for healthier vending options. Call New Jersey’s trusted healthy vending machine company today at 1 (888) 218-8363 or contact us online.