Recognizing that the health of our nation’s military personnel is 
important 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.
The 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.
Tag Archives: Healthy Vending NY
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 
added 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.
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)
KIND 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.