In response to an article that I posted on vending machines on the campus of University at Buffalo, one reader had the following to say about an initiative being undertaken by local high schools.
“A story recently aired about a gag that Independent Health created surrounding healthy vending. When asked to make a healthy selection, students were told by a live voice to do some form of physical activity to make up for the fact that the choice was anything but healthy.
“The Buffalo Public Schools are also tackling issues of health and wellness with vending. Recently they launched a pilot program in 2 city schools to introduce healthy vending options to students. Machines are filled with waters, unsweetened teas, dried fruits, nuts, Kind bars, and other 100% whole grain snacks.
“The program has been a huge success and not only does it provide kids with a healthy snack choice, it’s also created a healthy stream of revenue to replace what was lost when the district cancelled its contract with Coke.
“In addition, the district hopes to create an educational opportunity around the vending program by allowing all participating schools to run their machines like a small business. Student groups would create business plans, manage bookkeeping order, stock, and market the products in an effort to give them entrepreneurial business skills. The district hopes to roll the program out by September of 2015.”