Most New York City employees have changed their approach to snacking. Now, they seek out natural, healthy snacks while at work. Healthy snacking has gone from being a fad to being considered “normal” behavior. The switch gradually occurred as Millennials joined the workforce and has since changed the way everyone approaches snacking. Tom Ennis, CEO of Amplify Snack Brands, recently stated that “Millennials have set the quality bar high for better-for-you snacks, and consumers deserve nothing less.” Millennials are also teaching their children to choose healthier snacks as well as convincing many individuals in older generations to go healthy.

Be the Change

Rather than only considering the information on the front of a vending machine snack package, New York City employees are interested in the ingredient list and nutritional information on the back of the package. What are the ingredients? Are they clean or natural? How many calories are in this snack? How much sugar or fat per serving? The answers to these questions play an important role in helping the consumer decide if a specific snack is the best one for them, and each person will have different set of answers when considering the following questions. Will this snack boost my energy level, maintain my blood sugar, or provide the nutrients that I need?

To meet the evolving demand and expectations put on snacks, it is time to re-think the vending machine snack inventory. Start by considering your New York City employee behavior. Notice which items they are currently choosing. Survey them and ask for feedback about existing choices and future wishes. Professors and administrative staff at a college in California took it one step further and petitioned the college president for healthier choices in vending machines as they were concerned about the connection between sugary snacks and poor classroom performance.

Be Proactive

If New York City employees haven’t asked about including healthy snacks in the break room vending machine, ask them for their opinion. There is often a gap between “new to market” and “new to the vending market,” and employees may not realize that healthy snack and beverage options are available. It’s time to change the perception of vending machines and teach everyone that the words healthy snack and vending machine are not mutually exclusive.

Set your organization apart from the rest by offering healthy snacks and beverages in your New York City break room vending machine. Break rooms with healthy snack options are a highly valued benefit. Employees appreciate an employer who considers their health. Free Vending, providing vending machine snacks and beverages at zero or a reduced cost, with healthy choices also shows employees that employers are concerned about their personal finances. Both of these can lead to an increase in employee loyalty.

To learn more about adding healthy snack and beverage choices to your office break room vending machine, call Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671 for more information. We’d love to help you make the switch

It looks like New York City employees can add another benefit to the list of reasons why they should enjoy chocolate as a healthy snack—fewer irregular heartbeats. A recent study performed in Denmark by a group of Danish and American scientists found that participants who consumed two to six servings per week of chocolate made with at least 30 percent cocoa solids had an 11 to 20 percent lower chance of atrial fibrillation (AF) or irregular heartbeats. AF negatively affects over 12 million people in the United States (U.S.) and European Union (EU), and increases the likelihood that a stroke, heart failure, cognitive decline, or dementia will occur.

Chocolate, as a category, is made from different combinations of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, cocoa bean powder, sugar, and milk powder. Out of all of the ingredients, cocoa is the one that benefits cardiovascular health. In addition to antioxidants, cocoa contains flavonoids which perform a variety of jobs such as helping control insulin sensitivity, improving blood flow, and protecting the skin against UV damage. For chocolate to provide the most benefit, it needs to be made with a higher percentage of cocoa, and avoid processing methods such as fermenting, alkalizing, and roasting that cause important flavonoids to be lost.

Of all of the types of chocolate available in New York City, dark chocolate meets those criteria the best. But it is still important to check each bar of chocolate for the percentage of cocoa solids because those can vary. For example, in the EU, milk chocolate must contain a minimum of 30 percent cocoa solids while in the U.S., a minimum of 10 percent is required for the chocolate to be considered milk chocolate. Dark chocolate also has different requirements between the two locations—43 percent cocoa solids in the EU and 35 percent in the U.S. So, how do these percentages play out when it comes to the ingredients of dark, milk, and white chocolate?

Dark chocolate is made from the highest percentage of cocoa solids (the part that contains the flavonoids), cocoa butter, sugar, and cocoa bean powder. A different research study performed by researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that dark chocolate decreased cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. Fewer cravings can help the New York City employee stick to their healthy eating plan. Milk chocolate contains a smaller percentage of cocoa solids and cocoa butter than dark chocolate plus milk powder and more sugar. The milk powder and decreased amount of cocoa creates a smoother and sweeter chocolate than dark chocolate, but it also has fewer flavonoids. White chocolate is made from sugar, milk, and the smallest quantity of cocoa butter, so it doesn’t include any flavonoids.

Enjoying a small amount of dark chocolate with a cup of coffee in the afternoon not only provides health benefits, but it also creates a moment of relaxation and a caffeine boost for New York City employees. That is a benefit for everyone. A convenient location to offer dark chocolate is in a office break room or school lunchroom vending machine. To learn more about vending machine snack (including chocolate) and beverage options contact Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671.