Why the rise in Healthy Vending?

Healthy Vending is a concept that was created to target the growing demand for healthy vending machine options. By providing an alternative to high-calorie convenience snack food and drinks, vendors are seeing a growth in popularity of healthier vending machine items leading to an increase in sales and revenue. In some circumstances, i.e. schools, there are Federal Regulations in place which require only healthy selections be available for purchase. The demand for healthier vending along with regulations insisting on healthier vending items, have become the foundation for an increase in healthy vending machine franchises. While there will always be a need for traditional vending products, the current projections towards the future show healthy vending products are a wise choice and a secure investment. In today’s society, over 1/3 of American men, women, and children are obese. This percentage of unhealthy adults and children has more than doubled since the early 80’s and is costing billions in extra medical spending. In response to this epidemic, the Government has been progressively working on solutions to resolve this quandary. One of the areas that have been affected is the vending machine Business. The vending business is an estimated $43 billion corporation annually with approximately 7 million machines in the US alone. Schools have a tendency to dominate the market with virtually 1.5 million vending machines across the country.

What makes a vending machine “healthy?”

With the growing interest in Healthy Vending, business opportunists are beginning to explore different options for dispensing their products. Many questions have arisen regarding the definition of a “Healthy Vending Machine.” A healthy vending machine is basically just what it sounds like. It is a vending machine which distributes healthy snacks and drinks. While a traditional vending machine will quite often limit you to the size of the product (such as only vending 12oz drinks), a healthy vending machine is designed to vend different size healthy options, thus expanding inventory assortments. An optional addition to nearly all healthy vending machines is an AirVend credit card reader. These particular readers provide unique technology allowing the machine owner to program the nutritional facts of the products stored in the machine. The majority of these healthy machines will be dressed with an eye catching wrap displaying fruit, vegetables, or another healthy item. This distinguishes the machine and announces itself as healthy. Always keep in mind that a machine can have a healthy appearance, however, the vital key is actually what the machine delivers. If there are unhealthy items being stocked in a nicely decorated machine, then it would not qualify as a healthy vending machine. A common misconception with healthy vending is the requirement to join a franchise. While a franchise is an expensive, occasionally beneficial resource, it is not a necessity in order to own a healthy vending machine. There are numerous distributors who offer the same machines that can be purchased from a franchise, but at a discounted rate. Buying in to a franchise may promise locations, advertising assistance, training, etc., however different vending machine suppliers, such as The Discount Vending Store, may offer similar services but at a fraction of the cost. Researching options is always a good idea!