Doing More to Meet New York City Snack and Beverage Needs

Beverage and snack options in New York City

In 2018, there is a disconnect between New York City’s favorite packaged snack and beverage brands and the labels on snack and beverage packages that make them more appealing. Morning Consult Intelligence, a survey research and media monitoring organization, recently determined that the top 10 favorite packaged snack and beverage brands fall onto the ‘traditional’ side of the traditional versus healthy equation. But that same cohort of adults agreed that the words that typically describe the healthy side of the equation made products more appealing. For example:

  • 81 percent believe the word “fresh” makes products more appealing.
  • 68 percent said that labels including “sourced from American farmers,” “nutritious,” or “a high source of vitamins” makes products more appealing.
  • 66 percent agreed the words “natural flavors” makes products more appealing.
  • 58 percent said that “naturally sweetened” and “high in fiber” also makes products more appealing
  • 42 percent to 50 percent believe that “free-range,” “low-calorie,” “organic,” “non-GMO,” “fat-free,” “sugar-free,” and “sustainably sourced” makes products more appealing.
  • 54 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds say a product labeled organic is more appealing compared to 37 percent of those 65 and older.

snack and beverage options in New York City

Healthy Vending goes above and beyond by being 100 percent dedicated to providing healthy snack and beverage choices that fall into the “more appealing” category to New York City businesses and schools. Terms that represent many of our snack and beverage options also match those found in the study: organic; fair trade; non-GMO, no artificial colors, preservatives, or ingredients; vitamins and minerals; concern about different dietary needs (vegan, kosher, gluten free).

In addition to offering snack and beverage alternatives in vending machines, Healthy Vending uses vending machine technology to help educate New York City employees and students before making a purchase. Each vending machine is equipped with the MIND™, Make Informed Nutritional Decisions, a user-friendly touch screen monitor that displays product information and nutrition panels for every snack and beverage in the machine. An added bonus — the majority of the snacks and beverages in our vending machines are equal in price to less healthy options.

Providing support for the well-being of your New York City employees can also come in the form of supporting financial health. Whether it’s covering all or part of the cost of healthy snacks and beverages, this benefit represents a higher value to employees than the actual cost to employers. A physically healthy employee with a healthy financial picture is an employee with less stress who can be more productive.  

Healthy Vending continues to be a healthy resource that gives New York City employees and students a healthy alternative. For more information about offering healthy snack and beverage vending machine options in your office break room or school lunchroom, please contact us at 917.572.3671. We look forward to working with you.

New York City, Enjoy Bottled Water at Any Time of the Year

Bottled Water in New York City

Bottled water continues to be a popular choice for both refreshment and rehydration in New York City. As the seasons change and summer vacation comes to an end, New York City employees and students are heading back to work and school. Even though the temperature may be slowly dropping, it is important to remember to stay hydrated.

Dehydration can happen to anyone when there “is a lack of water in the body resulting from inadequate intake of fluids.” Even a small amount of dehydration can cause headaches, poor concentration, tiredness, and lightheadedness — all symptoms that can make it harder for employees and students to be productive. An easy way to stay hydrated is to always have low or no-sugar beverages like bottled water available in the office break room or school lunchroom vending machine.

Bottled water choices in the United States (U.S.) have expanded to include domestic non-sparkling water (5.5 percent increase), domestic sparking water (27.5 percent increase), imported sparkling and non-sparkling water (9.2 percent increase), and home and office delivery of 3 to 5-gallon size bottles (1.3 percent increase). The switch from other packaged drinks to bottled water has been so strong that, according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), “bottled water is the number one beverage product in the U.S., by volume, for a second year in a row.”

And that list of beverages includes carbonated soft drinks whose sales have continued to decline over the past 13 years as consumers have shifted away from sugar-sweetened beverages. Some of the reasons why New York City employees and students have made the switch include the following. Bottled water

  • is a healthy choice,
  • tastes great and is refreshing,
  • is convenient and available any time of day, and
  • Is portable.

Bottled Water in New York City

Another way to help boost productivity is to keep hunger at bay by offering healthy snacks in office break room or school lunchroom vending machines. Eating healthy snacks regularly throughout the day keeps energy levels up and blood sugar stable. A satiated and hydrated employee or student is a winning combination. For more information about adding healthy snack and beverage vending machines to your school or place of business, contact Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671. We look forward to working with you.