Tag Archives: healthy beverage vending machines

New Yorkers You Are What you Eat

Are you emotionally engaged…with your food? Recent research by Mid Adult Woman Eating Healthy Breakfastthe Center for Food Integrity and the Harvard Business Review suggest you are.
In the December 15, 2015 issue of Food Business News, Keith Nunes writes an editorial that draws on the research of both of the above organizations. In his article titled, “The Role of ‘Emotional Engagement’ in Food Marketing” Nunes shares that consumers:
1. Want to be able to engage with a brand (think website Q/A, Twitter and Instagram)
2. Are seeking products that make them feel good about themselves and their decisions
3. Connect emotionally with brands when they resonate with their deepest emotional drives, including the desire to feel secure, to stand out from the crowd or be the person they want to be
4. View what they eat as more than substance
How Does This Affect Your Vending and/or Food and Beverage Program?

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As more research becomes available on emotional engagement with food and as consumers continue to become more educated on how the food they eat is produced and where it is grown expect to see your favorite snacks with new labels and in some cases new recipes (think no artificial flavors or colors, gluten free, organic, etc.)
And if it is true that snacks and more than snacks, that snacks are now a way to define ourselves; ask yourself not only what does your personal snacking say about you and your priorities, but what does the food you offer your New York City employees say about your company and your company’s priorities.
In other words, if you are what you eat, what do you want to be? Do you want your New York City company to prioritize cost, health, choice? Do you want to be known for quality, for offering the best, for being the best, for being on top of trends?
If yes to any of the above  we invite you to call us and speak to one of our team members about creating a snack and beverage program that defines you the way you want to be defined. Call Healthy Vending New York today at 917.572.3671 for a free no-obligation consultation of your break room needs.

What Makes Food ‘Healthy’? KIND Calls On The FDA For A Better Definition

Most people want to be healthy in New York City. But one of the iStock_000010677573XSmallhardest things about following a healthy diet is that as the market for healthy food has grown, food marketers have used the term “healthy” very loosely. Refreshment service companies face this problem every day when trying to decide what food and refreshments to provide their customers.
For refreshment service professionals who specialize in “healthy” food in New York City and throughout the country, it is especially important that the food and refreshment be healthy in the truest sense of the word. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has tried to regulate the use of the term “healthy.” Let’s consider how a product earns the right to be labeled “healthy” according to government regulations.
The FDA mandates that the term “healthy” be used as a nutrient content claim to describe foods that contain 3g or less total fat and 1g or less of saturated fat per serving, with the exception of fish and meat, which are required by the regulation to have 5g or less total fat and 2g or less saturated fat per serving.
Is this a good definition? Many would agree with this definition, but the matter is open to debate.
KIND, a manufacturer of snacks that are gluten-free and made from non-genetically engineered ingredients, is urging the FDA to update its regulations around the term “healthy” when used as a nutrient content claim in food labeling. The company filed a petition with the goal of addressing outdated regulations, as well as helping to ensure that the public receives sound and consistent guidance about nutrition.

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KIND wants better alignment between food labeling regulations, the latest nutrition science and federal dietary guidelines. The petition reflects broad support within the food science and nutrition community to call attention to the importance of eating real foods made with wholesome and nutrient-rich ingredients as part of a healthy diet.
Today’s regulation precludes nutrient-rich foods such as nuts, avocados, olives and salmon from using the term “healthy” as a nutrient content claim. This is something KIND would like to see changed.
“KIND, with the support from top global nutrition and public health experts, is respectfully urging the FDA to update its current regulations surrounding the use of the word ‘healthy’ as a nutrient content claim. Our goal is to highlight the importance of following a healthy diet that includes foods made with wholesome and nutrient-dense ingredients,” says Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND.
The current regulations were created with the best intentions when Raisons and nutsthe available science supported dietary recommendations limiting total fat intake, Lubetzky says. However, current science tells us that unsaturated fats in nutrient-dense foods like nuts, seeds and certain fish are beneficial to overall health.
In addition to requesting updates to the current nutrient content claim regulations, KIND is also asking the FDA to implement a new framework for regulating dietary guidance statements.
Today in New York City and throughout the country regulations require that the majority of foods featuring a healthy nutrient content claim meet “low fat” and “low saturated fat” standards regardless of their nutrient density. Foods such as certain fat-free puddings and sugary cereals have the ability to use the word “healthy” as a nutrient content claim on their labels.
While healthy food is important, there is still work to be done to arrive at a consensus on what makes a product “healthy.”
These discussions will continue for a long time as nutrition research expands and science learns more about the impact products have on human health.
It is important that food and refreshment service providers give customers all available nutrition information about the products they offer. That’s one feature of a truly professional service specialist. Call Healthy Vending NY today at 917.572.3671 for a free no-obligation consultation of your break room needs.

Military Explores Healthier Options In Vending Machines Serving Service Personnel

Recognizing that the health of our nation’s military personnel is graphics for revision door pencilimportant to national security, military officials think it’s time for a health upgrade in the vending machines that service men and women patronize while on duty. The military has long served as a role model for health and wellness for society at large, so the renewed interest in healthy vending marks a positive development.
Healthy Vending NY applauds the military’s efforts to improve the health of our service men and women. We stand ready to assist the military in these efforts.
There are several initiatives the military is exploring to improve healthy options in military locations.
Captain Kimberly Elenberg, director of the U.S. Public Health Service’s medical readiness and training program, said she wants to see healthier choices available, both in vending machines and in foodservice operations on military bases. The average soldier only eats one serving of fruit or vegetables every three to six weeks, Elenberg said.
Twenty two percent of the service members and their families are obese. This number sounds okay when you consider 34 percent of the overall U.S. population is obese, but there’ still work to be done.
Elenberg, speaking at the annual U.S. Army conference, said her program is reconsidering its contracting practices for onsite vending and foodservice, according to military.com.
Hint WaterThe move to improve nutritious options on military bases is also part of the U.S. Defense Department’s Healthy Base Initiative. This is a study to examine the habits and health of service members and their families at 14 military bases worldwide. The study measures service personnel’s access to healthy food.
In addition to improving the healthy options in vending machines, military officials want to make immediate changes to meal options on bases, such as asking restaurants to display calorie counts on menus.
As important as all these initiatives are to the wellbeing of service personnel, the vending and foodservice operations on military bases need to be provided in a financially sustainable manner. The military needs sustainable services that align with its health priorities. Professional vending and foodservice companies provide these services.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options at your New York City workplace, school or military base, contact your vending partner, Healthy Vending NY at 917.572.3671 to discuss your customized break room needs.

KIND To Cut Added Sugar Across Its Fruit & Nut Line in New York City

KIND, one of the most visible names in healthy snacks, is reducing kind-bars2added sugar across its original Fruit & Nut bar portfolio. This effort, which started in late 2014, is part of KIND’s brand promise to offer wholesome and tasty snack choices.
Beginning in late spring, KIND Fruit & Nut bars like Apple Cinnamon & Pecan and Almonds & Apricots in Yogurt, will contain between 15 and 50 percent less added sugar, compared to the prior recipes. The recipe update will be made to seven flavors across KIND’s Fruit & Nut Bar portfolio.
KIND was able to identify ways to lower sugar without compromising taste, such as swapping sweetened fruit with unsweetened fruit and reducing added sugar in certain ingredients like yogurt coatings. The result allows the flavor from the fruit, such as apricot and apple, and the nuts to take center stage. Like all KIND snacks, Fruit & Nut Bars contain no artificial sweeteners and no added sugar alcohols.
“At KIND we’re constantly challenging ourselves to do better. Last year our team revisited the line that started it all for KIND, our Fruit & Nut Bars, looking for ways to keep improving on a snack that was already packed with wholesome, delicious ingredients,” said KIND CEO and founder Daniel Lubetzky. “I’m so proud of our team. For us, this is much more than a recipe update, it’s about honoring our history and continuing to fulfill our brand promise of making snacks that are both nutritious and great-tasting.”
KIND’s Fruit & Nut line disrupted the snack bar category in 2004 with its nutrient-dense ingredients like premium nuts and pieces of fruit, made visible through transparent packaging.
“Eating sugar in excess, as many Americans currently do, is unhealthy, particularly when it is in the form of added sugar or artificial sweeteners versus the naturally-occurring sugar that you find in fruit,” said David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and senior nutrition advisor to KIND. “I’ve been a longtime advocate of KIND snacks because they contain wholesome ingredients like fruit, nuts and seeds and never use artificial sweeteners or added sugar alcohols.”
The number one ingredient in all KIND Fruit & Nut Bars is nuts, and the bars have a low glycemic index. Low glycemic foods generally help maintain blood sugar levels that are already in the normal range.

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Lowering the added sugar in KIND Fruit & Nut Bars is only the latest in KIND’s ongoing effort to create snacks that are both wholesome and delicious in New York City and across the country:
• In 2012, KIND introduced the best-selling line KIND Nuts & Spices, whole nut snack bars flavored with delicious spices for a seemingly indulgent taste – and have 5g of sugar or less, which is 50 percent less sugar per bar compared to the average nutrition bar
• In 2014, KIND debuted STRONG & KIND®, its bold, savory snack line featuring 10g of protein and containing no more than 6g of sugar per bar
• Also in 2014, the company expanded its line of KIND Healthy Grains® Clusters, adding two options with 6g of sugar or less, Raspberry Clusters with Chia Seeds (5g of sugar per 1/2 cup serving) and Banana Nut Clusters (6g of sugar per 1/2 cup serving)
City_Landscape_Revision_DoorKIND is also taking an active voice in public policy to helping advance better practices within the food industry to improve public health. This includes supporting a proposal from the Food and Drug Administration to include added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Panel, so that it will be easier for people to understand the amount of added sugar in the foods that they eat.
All KIND snacks are made from wholesome ingredients, are gluten-free and are made from non-genetically engineered ingredients. KIND currently offers seven different snack lines including: KIND® Fruit & Nut and KIND® PLUS, two lines of delicious whole nut & fruit bars; KIND® Nuts & Spices, a line of whole nut & spice bars that have 5g of sugar or less; KIND Healthy Grains® Clusters, delicious blends of five super grains; KIND Healthy Grains® Bars, a line of crunchy and chewy granola bars; and STRONG & KIND®, a line of bold, savory bars featuring 10g of protein. KIND’s newest innovation – KIND® BREAKFAST – are soft-baked with a crispy outside, providing sustained energy from whole grains.
Through its social mission – known as the KIND Movement – KIND is committed to inspiring kindness through acts big and small. It fulfills this commitment through programming like KIND Causes, which helps people bring their socially-impactful ideas to life with monthly grants. Looking for healthy break room service at your New York City workplace? Call Healthy Vending NY today at 917.572.3671 for a free no-obligaton consultation of your break room needs.

New York Employers Upgrade Workplace Amenities Like Free Snacks And Other Perks

New York businesses that are serious about keeping their Spinning at the gymemployees happy at work have more options today than ever before. Providing food and refreshments at work remains one of the most important benefits New York employers can provide their workers. Employers should, however, consider all possible ways to keep workers happy on the job.
Over the last two years, employers have focused more on workplace amenities, reports The Wall Street Journal. Many New York workplaces are offering free snacks and drinks and some are going far beyond that with places employees can relax and recharge. Such amenities keep employees happy and they keep top-performers from changing jobs.
As companies try to put themselves on a path to faster growth, some are mimicking the workplace practices—and lavish perks—at technology behemoths like Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.
In industries as varied as insurance, electrical contracting and auto loans, managers are spending on office upgrades and amenities like free food and comped vacations, claiming that such trappings elevate jobs in even the more unglamorous industries. This helps to recruit employees and to convince high performers to stay.
John Bremen, a managing director with human-resources consulting firm Towers Watson, has seen squash courts and lap pools at some companies, and at one bank, rest areas for employees complete with sofas and soothing music—something that wouldn’t have occurred a decade ago.
Alterra Chief Executive David Royce says the writings of Zappos.com Inc. CEO Tony Hsieh prompted his focus on employee happiness, which Hsieh claims breeds corporate success. Royce spent hours scrolling through photos of tech-company offices online, concluding “it’s not fair that they have all the fun.”
Royce says he now invests more than 10% of Alterra’s profit in food, events and amenities each year, and claims it is paying off. Employees hailing from competing pest-control companies increase their sales by 70% in their first full year at Alterra, and 96% stay at the company for at least a full year.
iStock_000010820691SmallTech giants have long used recreational workspaces and generous perks to impress recruits and set themselves apart from typical corporate offices. Workplace designers like Primo Orpilla, whose design firm Studio O+A has created offices for Uber Technologies Inc. and Yelp Inc., say they are hearing from finance and contracting firms looking for similarly eye-catching amenities—even as some Silicon Valley companies play down some of the wackier touches.
Scott Lesizza, a founding principal of WorkWell Partners, which sells office furnishings, says about half the clients he meets cite Google as a model for their workplaces.
The New York office culture is changing, slowly but surely. The economy, the need for a work/life balance, rising costs and stretched budgets all influence the culture of an office. Where some companies will offer employees many perks, others will offer few and try to compensate in other ways.
Healthy Vending is experiencing this metamorphosis in New York. Healthy Vending can meet the future needs with trendier offerings and ways to help locations offer affordable, yet quality perks.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671 to discuss your customized break room solution.

Good News For New Yorkers: Major Food Brands Are Jumping On The Healthy Bandwagon

New York consumers, like people everywhere, are calling for healthy woman drinking waterhealthier food, and major brands can no longer ignore the call. In the past few months, several major brands – General Mills, Campbell Soup, Kellogg and Nestle – announced they are removing unhealthy additives.
This is good news for New York employers who have known for years that employees want to follow healthy lifestyles. As major food brands remove unhealthy additives, New York employers will have even more choices to help employees follow a healthy diet.
This month, General Mills Cereals committed to removing artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from all of its cereals in response to consumers’ changing preferences. More than 60 percent of General Mills cereals are already without artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources.
According to a survey conducted by Nielsen on behalf of General Mills, 49 percent of households are making an effort to avoid artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources.
cereal“At General Mills Cereals, we have been upgrading the nutrition and ingredients in our cereals for years to meet people’s needs and desires,” said Jim Murphy, president of the General Mills cereal division. “We’ve continued to listen to consumers who want to see more recognizable and familiar ingredients on the labels and challenged ourselves to remove barriers that prevent adults and children from enjoying our cereals.”
General Mills Cereals plans to have more than 90 percent of its portfolio free of artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources by the end of 2016. Trix will now use ingredients like fruit and vegetable juices and spice extracts such as turmeric and annatto to achieve the fun red, yellow, orange and purple colors.
In August, Kellogg announced Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies will soon be all-natural. Kellogg said it is aiming to stop using artificial colors and flavors in its cereal and snack bars by the end of 2018. The company said 75 percent of its cereals in North America were being made without artificial colors and more than half without artificial flavors.
In July, Campbell Soup said it would stop adding monosodium glutamate to its condensed soups for children and increase its organic offerings as part of a broader strategy to cater to changing consumer tastes.
Campbell also said it would remove artificial colors and flavors from nearly all of its North American products by July 2018, and that it would move away from using high fructose corn syrup in certain products, such as its line of Pepperidge Farm fresh breads, by the end of fiscal 2017. Most new products it is launching in 2016 also will not contain corn syrup.
Additionally, Campbell will launch new organic products, such as purees under its Plum line for kids and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers made with organic wheat.
In June, Nestlé pledged to improve the ingredient quality and iStock_000010520105XSmallnutritional profile of some of its most popular frozen pizza and snack brands without affecting taste. Nestlé announced the improvements, which encompass more than 250 products across six brands in the U.S.
By the end of 2015, Nestlé will have removed artificial flavors from every product within these brands. It will have reduced sodium by 10 percent across the entire portfolio of six pizza and snack brands compared to 2013 levels. It will incorporate guidance tools on packaging across these brands to help educate consumers on choosing appropriate portion sizes and the importance of eating vegetables and fruits as part of a balanced plate.
Healthy Vending applauds these companies for listening to consumers and making it easier for New Yorkers to follow healthy lifestyles.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671 to discuss your customized break room solution.

Top 10 Employer Wellness Programs: How They Can Help You in New York City

Every smart New York employer wants healthy employees. To help Smiling business team in a meeting shaking handsNew York businesses keep employees healthy, corporate wellness programs have grown into a multi-billion dollar business. Healthy Vending works with some of these wellness programs. Such programs offer nutrition education, preventive care, health screenings, gym membership incentives and more.
As a New York health partner, Healthy Vending wants to share some highlights about 10 top corporate wellness programs in the country.
Snacknation, an online snack service provider, recently listed what it considers the nation’s top corporate wellness programs. By reviewing how these companies help employees follow healthy lifestyles, employers can gain a better sense of what a structured wellness plan will provide. New York employers who want to have a healthy work environment will certainly want to know about the approaches these companies take. Here are summaries of the top 10 wellness programs. More information is available on their websites.
In gym1) Marino Wellness (marinowellness.com)
Marino Wellness has three levels of corporate wellness programs for different sizes of companies. These three different plans will cover just about any size budget. Options include annual health risk assessments, monthly massage days, personal coaching, workshops and education initiatives.
2) EXOS|MediFit (mediafit.com)
EXOS|MediFit designs custom fitness centers that are eco-friendly. In addition to nutrition education and physical therapy, it offers a tactical program to help injured military personnel get back to duty, and a sports program to help athletes improve performance.
3) Wellness Corporate Solutions (wellnesscorporatesolutions.com)
Wellness Corporate Solutions provides health fairs and health risk assessments for employees. It also offers eight week-long wellness campaigns to challenge employees to strive harder in a work environment. Employers can download a form and get a closer at employee incentive ideas that can turn good health intentions into results.
4) Kinema Fitness (kinemafitness.com)
Kinema Fitness’ integrated platform – online secured software portal – allows employees to create and access their own account to view and sign-up for classes, communicate with other employees, and log fitness and nutrition tips. This online platform supports the wellness programs being implemented on-site at the client location.
5) Premise Health (premisehealth.com)
Premise Health is an on-site health care provider. It does more than just cover basic health needs; it also offers chiropractic and acupuncture services. The company focuses on improving patient, provider and client experiences. It invests in technologies that sustainably engage patients, improve the efficiency and satisfaction of providers, and allows employers to track outcomes.
6) TotalWellness Health (totalwellnesshealth.com)
TotalWellness’s goals are threefold: 1) Lower healthcare costs, 2) Prevent diseases, 3) Create corporate wellness solutions to foster a safer and more productive work environment. Services include program design and consultation, health risk assessment and reporting, corporate health fairs, health screenings, nurse counseling, on-site flu shot clinics, health education, and a wellness portal.
7) WorkStride (workstride.com)Girl holding water bottle
While it is not typically considered a corporate wellness company, WorkStride helps employers recognize and reward behaviors to improve employee wellness. The software platform powers recognition, incentives, and reward programs. The solution makes it easy to highlight good deeds, compensate great work, and share authentic stories that reinforce a good direction.
8) Fitbit (fitbit.com)
Many people know Fitbit as a tiny wristwatch-like device that helps people reach personal fitness goals. Fitbit also provides corporate wellness programs, helping people lead healthier, more active lives by empowering them with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals. The platform combines connected health and fitness devices with software and services to help people become healthier.
9) Provant Health (provanthealth.com)
Provant Health partners with businesses to improve employees’ health while supporting employers with their healthcare affordability agenda. Provant’s Life+ Program combines personalized “high touch” services with social networking tools that link rewards to healthy behaviors and outcomes.
10) Marathon Health (marathon-health.com)
Marathon Health offers onsite healthcare, primary care services, preventative care, chronic condition coaching, occupational health care, ancillary services and more. Outreach efforts include healthy food drives to benefit local food shelters, educating middle and elementary school students about health and wellness, supporting Special Olympics, and providing free blood-pressure checks for seniors.
Healthy Vending encourages New York employers to engage in corporate wellness programs. Healthy Vending partners with New York employers by only carrying those products that are part of what most consumers consider to be a healthy diet.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671 to discuss your customized break room solution.

Gallup Poll Finds More Consumers Have Healthier Eating Habits; Healthy Vending Helps New Yorkers Meet Their Goals

Consumers in New York and elsewhere are following healthier diets, beautiful brunette holding apples applesaccording to a recent Gallup Poll. The poll found consumers are more likely to avoid soda than 14 other foods, including sugar and fat. At least six in 10 U.S. adults say they are trying to steer clear of soda altogether.
This is good news for everyone in New York. When people follow healthier diets, they live longer and they are more productive. As a result, everyone wins. Employers pay less for health insurance. Government spends less of our tax dollars on health care. Taxpayers face fewer tax increases to pay for health care costs.
It is a drastic change from 15 years ago. Consumers are far more likely today (61%) than in 2002 (41%) to say they are avoiding soda.
Likewise, the percentage of who actively include soda in their diet has dropped since 2002, from 36% to 22%.
It is not only regular soda consumers are avoiding. They are also avoiding diet soda out of concern for artificial sweeteners. In this year’s poll, Gallup asked half of the respondents about diet soda and the other half about regular soda. The results were nearly identical, with 61% saying they avoid regular soda and 62% saying the same for diet soda.
lg_Annies Bunny Friends - angle shotDoctors advise that lower-calorie and natural beverages, such as skim milk or water, are healthier choices than soda.
The poll also found consumers have become more likely to avoid sugar. In 2002, 43% were avoiding sugar compared to 50% in 2015.
In addition, consumers have recognized the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. The Gallup Poll reports that at least nine in 10 consumers try to include both fruits and vegetables in their diet. At least three in four try to include chicken and fish in their diet. Nutrition experts often recommend chicken and fish to help with heart health, in lieu of beef and other red meat.
Healthy Vending applauds the progress New Yorkers are making in following healthier lifestyles.
But there is still work to do. The vast majority of consumers in New York and elsewhere say they are trying to follow healthier eating habits. But they are not always able to meet their goals, hard as they may try. One reason is that the healthy choices are not always readily available. This is especially true in today’s New York, where workers are often eating on the run.
We launched Healthy Vending in 2000 to help New Yorkers who wanted to maintain healthy diets and consume less calories. One of the most unique aspects about our company is that we provide these healthy products conveniently for consumers. Healthy Vending only carries those products that are part of what most consumers consider to be a healthy diet.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671 to discuss your customized break room solution.

At Long Last: Obesity Rates Start To Fall, But More Needs To Be Done In New York City

Better eating habits are starting to make a difference in New York cliff-barCity and the rest of America. For the first time in decades, obesity rates have leveled off for adults and school aged children, according to a recent New York Times data analysis. For younger children, obesity has actually declined. The amount of full calorie soda consumed has fallen by 25 percent since the late 1990s.
What accounts for this good news? Health experts say people have started to realize they were consuming too many calories.
The government organized public health campaigns in response to reports showing obesity was taking its toll on the American population. “I think people are hearing the message, and diet is slowly improving,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
This is a major piece of good news for New York consumers. Healthy Vending applauds the work that the scientific community, public service agencies and nutritionists have done to reverse the obesity epidemic. The improvement is the result of decades of hard work.
In 1999, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a paper in The Journal of the American Medical Association that turned into something of a blockbuster. The paper illustrated worsening obesity rates in the 1980s and 1990s in all 50 states.
Shortly afterward, then surgeon general Dr. David Satcher issued a report — “Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity.” This 2001 report summarized the evidence that obesity was a risk factor for several chronic diseases. He said controlling children’s weight should be a priority to prevent the onset of obesity-related illnesses.
iStock_000008958217XSmallWe launched Healthy Vending in 2000 to support New York consumers who wanted to maintain healthy diets and consume less calories. Healthy Vending became one of the companies committed to the battle against obesity.
Gradually, our message began to take hold.
By 2003, 60 percent of Americans said they wanted to lose weight, according to the Gallup Organization, up from 52 percent in 1990 and 35 percent in the 1950s.
The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, required chain restaurants to publish the calorie content of their meals. The government also required healthier school lunches.
Beverage companies began marketing diet drinks and invested in new products with less calories, including iced teas and flavored water.
There is still work to do. Kevin Hall, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, estimated that for Americans to return to the body weights of 1978 by 2020, an average adult will have to reduce calorie consumption by 220 calories a day. The recent reductions represent just a fraction of that change.
Health Vending stands ready to help in the effort to improve the environment for those New Yorkers who want to follow healthy lifestyles. One of the most unique aspects about our company is that we provide these healthy products conveniently for consumers.
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options available to the vending industry, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671 to discuss your customized break room solution.

Bottled Water: A Healthy Way To Beat The Summer Heat in New York

iStock_000015884027MediumLooking for a healthy way to stay hydrated during this hot New York summer? Healthy Vending has you covered with its array of bottled water choices. Bottled water continues to grow in New York as consumers recognize the importance of staying hydrated during the day.

 

“Consumers’ thirst for bottled water appears on track to persist in the years ahead,” says Michael Bellas, chairman and CEO of the New York City-based Beverage Marketing Corp. (BMC), which researches beverage trends. “Changes in per capita consumption indicate enthusiasm for a product that consumers regard as a healthful alternative to other beverages. Americans upped their annual bottled water consumption by almost 11 gallons during the period 2004 to 2015. It went from 23.2 gallons per person in 2004 to 34 gallons in 2014.”

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During the same period, per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks dropped by more than a dozen gallons, Bellas notes. “Per capita consumption of other major beverage categories, like milk and fruit beverages, also declined.”
Reflecting a clear trend of consumers increasingly choosing healthy, convenient, zero-calorie bottled water, BMC reported that over the past five years alone, bottled water has increased its “share of stomach” of the overall beverage market from 14.4 percent in 2009 to 17.8 percent in 2014. “If current trends persist, bottled water could emerge as the largest beverage category by volume in the country by the end of the decade,” says Bellas.

 

Many attributes that contribute to bottled water’s undeniable appeal to U.S. consumers, says Chris Hogan, vice president of communications at the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), based in Alexandria, Va. Among them are bottled water’s healthfulness, convenience, and safety.
Bottled water’s versatility makes it suitable for consumption at any time of day and in just about any setting. It doesn’t need to be kept ice cold (like soft drinks or juice) or warm (like conventional coffee or tea).

Smart Water
Consumers’ interest in beverages that deliver benefits above and beyond simple refreshment also contributes to bottled water’s ascension in the beverage rankings. Amid worries about obesity, diabetes, and other health matters, bottled water’s lack of calories and artificial ingredients, convenience, and refreshing taste attracts health-conscientious consumers.
Bottled water is regulated as a food product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA regulations governing the safety and quality of bottled water must be at least as stringent as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for tap water. And, in some very important cases like lead, coliform bacteria, and E. coli, bottled water regulations are substantially more stringent, according to IBWA.
The bottled water industry is utilizing a variety of measures to continue reducing its environmental impact. All bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable and many bottled water companies are already using recycled plastic in their bottles. Some are even producing 100 percent recycled PET plastic bottled water containers.

 


“Although it has occasionally been compared with tap water, bottled water in fact realized its prominence as a healthful choice for consumers seeking to reduce their consumption of other less healthy packaged beverages. While some consumers have turned away from regular, full-calorie sodas in favor of their diet versions, many others transitioned to bottled water instead,” says Bellas.
“Bottled water has the smallest water and energy use footprint of any packaged beverage,” adds Hogan. “The results of a 2014 benchmarking study show that the amount of water and energy used to produce bottled water products in North America is less than all other types of packaged beverages. On average, only 1.32 liters of water (including the liter of water consumed) and 0.24 mega joules of energy are used to produce one liter of finished bottled water.”

 
For more information about healthy snack and beverage options, contact your New York City vending partner, Healthy Vending, at 917-572-3671.