Should food that is high in fat, sugar or salt be banned from meals and removed from vending machines in schools across the USA? Should the federal government have the right to decide what your child should eat? Or should food vendors alone have the right to put food into vending machines that kids buy on impulse?
Which way do vendors think--healthy foods bring more kids? Or healthy foods have a reputation which most kids learned from parents' attitudes? Who should decide what your kids eat from vending machines--you, the vendors, children, or what the market statistics tally? Do children really have a choice? Or are they addicted to taste and cravings for sweets, fats, and salty foods?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 17 percent of all children are now considered obese, triple the percentage of a generation ago. See related information at the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Childhood Overweight and Obesity." So how healthy are the foods in the vending machines in or near your children's school or after-school recreational program area?
Do school vending machines in your town or children's school have fresher, healthier foods than the vending machines currently at your neighbor's public school grounds in a different city? Based in San Diego, Fresh Healthy Vending is a company that started in 2010 and is revolutionizing vending machines by filling them with healthy, natural food options. Sacramento schools also need futuristic vending to kids on school campuses, and to students from elementary school to college age.
Having vending machines on campus has given schools an opportunity to earn a portion from all sales and to offer snacks to their student body. Nevertheless, in recent years, schools have come under scrutiny because of the unhealthy food options with which their machines are typically stocked.
Check out the website of Fresh Healthy Vending to learn more about putting healthier foods in school vending machines. This is a problem that Fresh Healthy Vending has taken on, creating a line of vending machine that only offers all-healthy, nutritious foods.
Every vending machine on a school campus, here in Sacramento, for example, should offer such things as bottled water, all-natural cereal bars, fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, and yogurt. Fresh Healthy Vending’s machines carry all that and more, including many other healthy food options that range from soymilk to baked chips and 100-percent fruit juices.
Dubbed the “future of vending,” Fresh Healhty Vending's technique of putting healthier foods in vending machines that children frequent on school campuses are leading the way in healthy food vending. Their machines offer 100-percent juices, fresh vegetables, fruits, smoothies, and yogurts. The Fresh Healthy Vending machines are franchised and are being placed in schools, offices and other locations throughout the country.
Here's the main back-to school issue in Sacramento: Will Sacramento children actually fight obesity by demanding that healthier foods be put in vending machines on school grounds? Can childhood obesity be conquered on Sacramento school campuses?
When will healthier foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables or low-Glycemic Index foods and high ORAC value (high on the antioxidant scale foods) be put in school vending machines in your town, USA? How about more unsweetened yogurt, unsalted roasted nuts, and unprocessed, clean organic fruit or peeled baby carrots, or low-fat salads without calcium chloride to preserve the color (because in some people it raises blood pressure) be put in vending machines? Some Sacramento kids have a name for vending machines: fending machines.
Did you ever question why schools across the country have implemented vending machines, in an effort to raise funds? When will these machines be installed in Sacramento schools? Unfortunately, those machines have traditionally been stocked with unhealthy items. Today, however, vending machines are available that are stocked with all-natural and healthy foods, which could be an important step in helping to combat childhood obesity on campus.
“The ability to put a healthy vending machine on campus is essential,” explains Jolly Backer, in an August 1, 2011 news release, "Combating Childhood Obesity on School Campuses," the chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending, a company specializing in vending machines that are stocked with all-healthy options. “It gives kids and college students access to quick, convenient foods that are also packed with the nutrition they need.”
“Children and college students usually eat on campus, or at least want a snack while they are there,” added Backer. “Making sure they have access to nutritious foods that are convenient is a good thing to do, and it can be an important tool in helping win the fight against childhood obesity.”
Dual-climate-controlled Fresh Healthy Vending machines have been placed in over 600 locations throughout the country, with more being added each month. The machines are found on school campuses, in health and medical centers, shopping malls, and at a variety of other sites. Those who would like to learn more should visit the Fresh Vending site.
Check out all my Examiner.com columns
Sacramento Healthy Trends Examiner
Sacramento Media & Culture Examiner
Sacramento Women's Issues Examiner
Sacramento Holistic Family Health Examiner
National Children's Nutrition Examiner
National One-Pot Meals Examiner
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