Why healthy snack machine options matter
It’s a basic fact of life: People are going to snack! But it’s also proven that healthier workforces take fewer sick days, perform better, and are more productive. Since offering healthy snacks improves employee nutrition, health, and workplace performance, company wellness programs are using healthy vending to promote employee well-being and to control rising health care costs.
As the competition for top talent continues to be strong, offering a wider range of healthy vending products gives companies a way to differentiate. It may not seem like it, but the food and beverage options accessible to your workers make a major impact on their overall satisfaction. That’s why so many companies in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and all across Florida are making healthier vending a top priority.
Beyond the workplace, schools, hospitals, care centers, and other organizations are broadening their healthy vending options. As these organizations strive to promote healthier lifestyles for their students, patients, visitors, and so on, they are finding that it’s counterproductive to have a vending machine full of only cola and cookies.
It’s all about choice and balance
When it comes to healthy vending, choice and balance are the key. Many HR managers have struggled with the fine line of mandating what employees should eat and leaving them to make their own choices as adults. As many have learned the hard way, offering only the healthiest of vending products can drive employees to seek out “pleasure foods,” like chips and cookies, elsewhere – defeating the purpose of having onsite vending.
The answer to this conflict? Offer a wide range of options, including ones that will please your health-conscious staff, encourage everyone to make healthier choices, while still satisfying the more traditional tastes of your workforce. Luckily, modern vending provides a great deal of variety in both healthy vending products as well as classic favorites.
Examples of healthy vending products
Healthy vending machines can offer employees, students, patients (or whoever may be using them) a broad variety of snack options. When choosing a healthier snack, it’s important to focus on fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Some healthy swaps include:
- Fresh fruits instead of sweet treats
- Nuts or fresh veggies instead of crunchy processed snacks
- Yogurt instead of ice cream
- Pretzels and baked chips instead of their higher-saturated-fat alternatives
A healthy vending program called FitPick can also help your team make healthier snack choices. The program uses dietary guidelines from organizations like the American Heart Association to label food and beverage options with a special sticker indicating it’s a better-for-you choice than traditionally vended products. Learn more about FitPick and how it works.
What about healthy micro markets?
Read about how to choose to between vending, micro markets, and pantry service for your organization.
As one of Florida’s top healthy vending machine companies, and the largest independent vending provider in the state, Florida Fresh Vending can build a tailored solution that balances your workplace wellness goals and staff preferences. Serving North and Central Florida including Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, and more, our team would be happy to create a customized plan for your organization. See how we’ve helped companies like Maximus Federal in Jacksonville improve employee satisfaction with a variety of workplace food and beverage selections.
Find out more about Florida Fresh, Florida’s top vending and micro market provider serving Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, Melbourne and more. We help companies drive employee satisfaction through better meal, snack, and beverage options – see how we’ve helped the team at Maximus Federal in Jacksonville.