Vending Machines Crumbling Under New Nutritional Standards? No way!
Vending machine operators are under pressure. Operators are worried that nutritional labeling will drive customers away. The battle between who is right or wrong has been longstanding. It’s a known fact that operators will be required to post nutritional labels on their machines - if they own 20 or more machines.
Scrutinizing Energy Drinks: Fair? Or Not?
In recent months, energy drinks have come under scrutiny regarding their energy additives; and how those can affect the human body, for better or worse. There are two sides to every argument, so here they are: the “pro energy drink” market argues that energy drinks are a safe way to get a vital energy boost, and that the energy additives (ingredients like caffeine, B vitamins, or amino acids) do not place any undo harm on the health of the consumer.
Industry Analysis: Sapient Corporation
Sapient Corporation is a technology firm centered on delivering new age solutions to existing platforms, or developing completely new designs. What are they doing with vending machines? Well, the Sapient Corporation has revamped the traditional vending machine and turned it into something more technologically inclined.
They are working on the “future vending machine” and their future goals are more than just selling soda. The Coke machine in the front lobby of one of their offices looks more like a standalone computer interface than a vending machine: it features a large LCD flat-panel touch screen that interacts with the movement of your fingers; large swirling digital graphics are displayed on the screen itself.
Chris Davey, the manager of Sapient’s Boston office commented on the new futuristic vending machines, “We are already using these machines as a digital network.”
What Sapient hopes to do is create a large network of these digital vending machines: a global network of them, including billboards as well. Sapient has earned a spot on this year’s Global 100, for a top services company.
Not All Sugar Is Created Equal: The Battle over High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Sugar: Different? Or Not? Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup worse than any other sweetener, in terms of your health?
High fructose corn syrup is used in just about every food and beverage product out there. And even more so, it is not the only sweetener used. Usually you’ll go down the list of ingredients in your favorite snack or beverage, only to find additional sweeteners like regular corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, and sugar. Sometimes you could find “evaporated cane juice,” which is promoted as a less refined sweetener.
But what has been the issue with high fructose corn syrup? Well, companies got a little greedy when coming up with recipes. And being companies, their number one goal is to reduce costs. With that being said, high fructose corn syrup is used for its affordability and not for anything else. It’s cheaper to put into the product, because of the fact that one of the largest grown crops for cash and consumption in America is corn and corn-based products.
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.
Latest Tweets by Carl
Follow Carl on Twitter
- @shawnaseigel Have a good weekend. - posted on 23/07/2010 16:15:15
- Thank god it's Friday. - posted on 23/07/2010 09:24:53
- @stlpr Since I am an avid and strong supporter of small business, what industry is yours involved in? - posted on 22/07/2010 15:05:28
- I want to say that I am neither Pro Republican or Pro Democrat. I believe in individual American liberty, and choice of party, or no party. - posted on 22/07/2010 14:57:58
- @RyanBiddulph Wholeheartedly agree. - posted on 22/07/2010 14:48:54
Carl’s Ezine Articles
- Small Business Finance - Banks Cite Risks For Lack of Small Business Funding July 21, 2010
- Investing Small - How to Win With Meager Beginnings July 15, 2010
- Small Business Websites - Affordable Solutions Bring Powerful Results July 14, 2010
- Online Marketing - Diversifying Your Approach July 13, 2010
- Web Design - Improve User Experience With Navigational Clues June 25, 2010
