Step-by-Step Guide to Incorporating Healthy Foods into Vending Machine

Introduction
This guide is designed to help you incorporate healthy food choices into your healthy vending machines. Examples of both refrigerated and non-refrigerated snacks will be listed. Foods that were determined to be the most popular in a recent study will be discussed. Nutrient density criteria will be given in order for you to have an easy method for determining healthy choices.

Nutrient Dense Criteria
Below is an easy guide to follow in order to help ensure the foods you buy are healthy. These guidelines are based on Dairy Council Standards. If a food has points, it is considered healthy; if a food has zero or negative points, it is not considered healthy.

1. Add one point to the food for each of the following.

• Has 10% or more Daily Value for vitamin A
• Has 10% or more Daily Value for vitamin C
• Has 10% or more Daily Value for calcium
• Has 10% or more Daily Value for iron
• Has 10% (5g) or more Daily Value for protein
• Has 10% or more Daily Value for fiber

2. Subtract one point from the food for each of the following.

• Has 10% or more Daily Value for total fat (based on a 30% fat diet)
• Has 250 or greater kilocalories

3. If the food still has any points left, then the food is considered healthy. Foods with zero or negative points are not considered healthy.

Examples of Foods that are Healthy Choices
Foods that would meet the above criteria that need refrigeration are:

• Milk
• V8 vegetable juice
• Yogurt
• Bagels with cream cheese
• String cheese
• Pudding
• Soymilk

Foods that meet the criteria that would not need refrigeration would be:

• Water
• Peanuts
• Sunflower seed
• Baked chips
• Granola bars
• Tuna with crackers
• Dried fruit
• Breakfast bars
• Pretzels
• Cereal
• Welchs fruit snacks
• Trail mix
• Low fat beef jerky
• Applesauce fruit rockets

Candy bars, candy, fried chips (i.e. regular Doritos, Lays, etc.), and most cookies would NOT meet the criteria.

Most Popular Snacks as Determined by a Recent Pilot Project

A study was recently done that incorporated healthy foods into vending machines to see if a profit could be made (J.Church, K.Paras, R.Johnson, J.Carlson). In addition to the main study objective, the most popular foods were determined. This will most likely vary with each geographical region but here are some initial ideas that include brand names (this is important!):

• Chugs 1% chocolate milk
• Dole 100% fruit juices
• Seneca 100% apple juice cans (small)
• Dasani water
• V-8 vegetable juice
• String cheese (any brand)
• Planters peanuts
• Planters sunflower seeds
• Low-fat beef jerky (any brand)
• Pudding (any brand)
• Lays and Doritos Baked Chips
• Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bar
• Sunkist tuna with crackers
• Dried fruit (any brand)