Healthy Vending Machine

Healthy Vending Machine

I know it kind of sounds like an oxymoron, healthy and vending machine in the same sentence, but it does exist out there!

About 4 months ago, the search began to replace the old vending machine with candy and chips with a healthier version. Well, today was finally the day! The machine was delivered to my office and I was super happy.

Here's the old machines being emptied out...
The guys moving it off the truck
This is the side of the machine
The old vending company didn't remove their machines on time, so they had to kind of move things around for it to fit.

So what kinds of things do we have to choose from?

“Hippie Chips”

Pirate’s Booty, Apple Straws and Kettle Corn Pop corn

Different flavors of Clif Bars/Active Water, Blue Sky organic Cola and Rootbeer

Sweet Leaf Teas in lots of great flavors

Mojo Bars and organic cookies with no trans fats.

So, I will not tell a lie, it was a little shocking for some people, but the majority of my friends at work were really excited about it. I think it will grow on some people who right now, will miss M & M’s and Snicker’s Bars. However, Study findings published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) show that employees have a higher rate of job satisfaction when their employer is concerned about their health.

It’s a small step, but building on more steps can create a great and healthy atmosphere at any office.

Would your co-workers revolt at such a drastic change or do you think they would embrace it?

The company I used is in the Chicago land location and is called Healthy U Vending. You can check out their site here. The owner’s name is “T” and he said business is BOOMING! So that’s a nice thought that other companies/schools/hospitals are going to change what they offer too.

If you don’t live in the Chicago area, you can just google Healthy Vending for your state and see what pops up. Maybe you can make a change at your workplace or if you are the boss, you can offer this to your staff!

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14 comments

  • I’m so encouraged to see your company make such a dramatic switch. It would be interesting to compare sales between 3 months of the old vs. 3 months of the new machine.

  • That is awesome! I think my co-workers would be pretty ticked, haha! I would love it, however! I’m just glad to see some changes, somewhere, being made!!

  • That is fantastic! I like Jen’s idea of comparing sales! I bet it will be better than the old machine because employees will be curious to try these healthy treats that they may not have had before and maybe they will visit the vending machine more often since they won’t feel as “guilty”. I know it’s not about the money, but it would be interesting to see!

  • WOW! This is great. I’ve never seen an healthy vending machine. They should start replacing these with the junk food machines all over the place.

  • That is very cool! I refuse to go near our vending machines, but many in my department are dependent on them and would have to adjust to not having a Snickers and Mountain Dew for breakfast. 🙂 Over time they’d adjust I think.

  • That’s a great move for your co. I never visit the vending machine cause it’s a bad habit to start but keep healthy stuff in my drawer.
    I bet heads would roll if they tried that here cause the folks who visit the vending are mostly the folks who need the healthy version (JMO) but wouldn’t like it – I will suggest it though to see the reaction 🙂

  • Nice! Love that they have the Clif Bars – some great options for when you can’t get out for lunch, and also those Hippie Chips look kind of like Pop Chips – yum!

  • I think this is fantastic, BUT I will also put my RD hat on and say that many of these products are glorified candy bars (in my opinion). And why would I want a Cliff bar or a Power Bar unless I’m working out? Isn’t that what they are meant for? I dunno, maybe I’m just being picky, but to say these are all healthy snacks is just not true….BUT they are definitely BETTER than what was there before! Very cool.

  • I’m jealous, this is so cool! I try to keep healthy snacks in my desk at work but do have a bunch of change in there too in case I need an emergency trip to the vending machine 🙂

  • I think the most shocking change in our office would be the price difference. Right now everything in our vending machines, food or drink, is just a quarter. We probably couldn’t keep that up if we replaced our “cookie exploit” with Clif bars.

    * The “cookie exploit” is the name given to a five ounce package of cookies, by far the largest bang for the buck in the whole machine.

  • I think a healthier vending machine is a great idea! And I think people will get used to it (and hopefully only use it occasionally as many of the snacks are still “treats”…).

    Happy Saturday!

  • Yay, I’m glad to see you finally got a healthy vending machine!! :]

    Looks like there is very similar products as in our vending machines, so it looks like a winner to me ; )

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