Schools Embracing Healthy Vending Programs

May 24, 2006 -- As school districts adopt local school wellness policies and continue to develop healthy school nutrition environments, vending machine ‘makeovers’ have grown common.

While many school nutrition programs do not have authority over school vending machines, others are assuming control of the machines and using them to offer nutritious foods and beverages.

Vending can be an important way to provide healthy offerings if school overcrowding or short lunch period periods prevent all students from having an opportunity to receive a healthy school meal through the lunch line. According to the 2005 SNA Trend Survey (August 2005), 65 percent of districts had nutrition policies in place that limited the hours of operation and/or availability of vending machines. Furthermore, 49 percent have increased the availability of healthier beverages in vending machines. The adoption of local school wellness policies is expected to further increase the number of schools and districts offering nutritious options through vending machines.

One innovative example of healthy vending is being tested in Texas. The Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) teamed up with SL-Tech to develop Deli Zone by VendSMARTT™ – an innovative healthy vending program for schools. The program addresses many goals of the school district, including: vending nutritious breakfasts, lunches and snacks, and accessing meaningful financial reports. The program allows the Food Services Department to expand hours of operation and campus locations.

Student focus groups and taste panels were held to determine what foods and beverages would be most popular for vending.  Software and hardware companies – SL-Tech and Wurlitzer – combined their engineering capabilities. All product offerings were evaluated for compliance with the Texas Public Schools Nutrition Policy, one of the strictest in the nation. The program will be tested this summer at Carroll High School in Corpus Christi. A step-by-step operations manual is being developed by the school nutrition program to help other school districts who may want to start a similar program.

Beginning earlier this decade, the Vista Unified School District in California opted to change the usual foods and beverages being sold in their vending. Child Nutrition Services helped the Vista High School purchase vending machines and offered healthier options such as bagels and cream cheese, yogurt and granola and dried fruit. The first year the school generated $200,000 more in sales than the previous year. Vista is currently testing a vended meal program.

A variety of different meal vending machines and healthy snacks and beverages ideal for vending will be on display at the Exhibit Hall at SNA’s Annual National Conference in Los Angeles, California, July 16-19, 2006.