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Gears of Innovation – Vending Technology Revamps Snacking

If you're not clued in yet on the debate of childhood obesity and school vending check out First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign, "Let's Move" (http://www.letsmove.gov). Search Google news for "school vending" while you're at it, for all the relevant and up to date information on what's happening; that should get you caught up.

One fact that we are being continually presented with this year is that 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese in America. This statistic has alarmed many people, including the federal government and (of course) the media. And as many changes have already taken place, many others will as well. First, traditional thinking about what we serve to school children, kids and high-school students has changed. Some places in the United States, such as New York for example, have worked to eliminate sugary soda and high calorie snacks from the available items at school lunch cafeterias and school vending machines.

Overall, it's a struggle for us to change the way we eat, and the way our kids eat. And on the other side of the fence, many people think that changing the way things are done is a bit controlling, or limiting. They value individual choice, and one can pay respect to that. This debate speaks to a larger problem although. We simply have yet to redesign our lifestyles to fit a healthier "generational gap," which is to say that for change to happen, it must happen at the foundation first.

And for the vending machine industry, change can win over fans and consumers. While large snack companies have worked to decrease the calories, salt, sugar and fats in their foods, the vending machine industry has worked to provide these items in technology-driven vending machines. The machines, usually featured with an appealing LCD "touch" interface, are intuitive and deliver on healthy snacks.

This is what we'll see more of in the future of vending; a change from the traditional, to the different approaches of what technology offers. Vending machines are becoming more like an automated computer delivery system, than what they were in the past: the simple "push/pull" mechanical vending machines. Newer vending machines with built-in networking can also report all kinds of nutrition information, and sales statistics to the consumer, and back to the main office. So, what we'll be able to see is "on demand" product and nutrition information for whatever item we choose.

I can remember when the daily occurrence of pizza and potato chips was very traditional at my school. But now, that's taking a back seat. And vending operators and innovators have responded as well. Gone are the traditional snack vending machines filled to the brim with sugary delights and salty wonders. Now they are being replaced with innovative vending solutions such as fresh fruit vending, organic vending, yogurt snacks, and other all-natural items.

You may ask, or question the fact that kids just don't want to give up their coveted snacks. Well, that could be true, but many advocates have noted that by changing attitudes early on in life, can make for a marked increase towards healthier ones later on. It is true that many kids who are overweight early in life, will grow up being overweight, into adulthood.

Technology has spurred a movement towards the healthier generation of school students. In a larger sense, we'll see all kinds of newer innovations coming up that can reform our own ideas about snacking (just for example, PepsiCo has a redesigned salt crystal that offers lower sodium per bite versus the traditional). On the forefront of the vending machine industry is innovation, and on the forefront of the national consensus of American people are healthier attitudes in general.