American Vending LLC Blog

Have you noticed that the availability of healthy vending machine options in Warren and The Metro Detroit Area continues to increase? Traditional snacks and beverages have given way to vegetable chips, protein bars, and naturally flavored water. The catalyst for these changes doesn’t stem from a single event. Instead, multiple perspectives unwittingly met to produce an increase in demand for healthy vending machine snacks and beverages.

Two of those perspectives are a concern about the increase in obesity rates in the United States and a demand for more nutritionally sound and sustainable snacks and beverages. In order to learn more about a specific product, greater visibility of important information needed to occur.

Industry Requirements

In 2016, obesity rates in the state of New York were 25.5% for adults and 31.8% for children ages 10 to 17. Because of an on-going increase in country-wide obesity rates, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) determined that consumers (both adults and children) needed to be able to easily locate the nutritional information of a vending machine snack or beverage. As a result, new vending machine labeling requirements about the placement of the nutrition label on items purchased from vending machines were developed. Today, caloric information is visible on “vending machine foods for which the Nutrition Facts label cannot be examined before purchase or for which visible nutrition information is not otherwise provided at the point of purchase” (https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/ucm513910.htm).

Consumer Demands

Many snack and beverage manufacturers, however, have decided to include more information about their healthy vending machine products than the FDA requires. Clear product labeling lets the Warren and The Metro Detroit Area consumer know what the ingredients are, how many calories are in it, if the ingredients are organic, non-GMO, or vegan, or if the snack or beverage is Fair Trade certified.

The following list defines a few of the terms consumers are looking for when deciding whether or not to purchase an item.

• Organic: “certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives.” (from the USDA article, “Organic 101: What the USDA Organic Label Means”)
• GMO-Free: products were grown or made without any genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• Sustainable: “production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare” (from http://www.sustainabletable.org/246/sustainable-agriculture-the-basics)
• Fair Trade: a “model of sustainable, ethical trade that puts people and planet first.” (from https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade)
• Vegan: a vegan snack is one that does not contain any animal-based ingredients including meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey

The healthy vending industry offers convenient options that not only meet federal requirements, but also provide nutritious and sustainable-grown ingredients. To learn more about providing your Warren and The Metro Detroit Area employees or students with healthy options, call American Vending at 248.895.2606. We look forward to hearing from you.

Everyone has that one favorite “not-so-healthy” snack that they enjoy every now and then. While we’ve all heard that moderation is key, deciding whether to go healthy or not can be quite the dilemma. Often Warren and The Metro Detroit Area consumers want to eat healthy, but at the same time, they want to enjoy their favorite sweet or salty guilty pleasure.

Many of Warren and The Metro Detroit Area’s favorite sweet and salty snacks have been around for more than 30 years and include:

• Confections (chocolate, candy, etc.): PEZ (1950), Swedish Fish (late 1950s), Nerds (1983), anything made with chocolate
• Salty: sunflower seeds, Cheese Balls (1980s), Combos (mid 1970s), Goldfish, Doritos (1974), Pringles (1975), chips, crackers
• Cookies and Snack Cakes: Famous Amos cookies (1975), animal crackers (1902), rice krispies treats, Oatmeal Cream Pies (1960), Oreos, Pop-tarts (1964)
• Other snacks: Dippin’ Dots (1987), Fruit Roll-ups (1991) or fruit snacks, granola bars, Milk ‘n’ Cereal Bars or breakfast bars (1990s – early 2000s)

If Warren and The Metro Detroit Area employees are looking, however, for something that’s a little healthier, there are a lot of healthy sweet and salty options available too. Healthier snack options include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn, squeezable yogurt tubes, yogurt smoothies, pre-packaged organic meal kits, salsa, and hummus. Many of these healthy snacks can also be combined to create a healthy mini-meal when there isn’t enough time for a sit-down meal.

Whether your Warren and Metro Detroit Area employees are craving something healthy or “not-so-healthy,” many of these snacks can be found all day in the office breakroom micro-market or vending machine. Providing an easily accessible, onsite location where all types of snacks and beverages including office coffee service are available is just one benefit that lets your employees know they are valuable. Another benefit is to offer everything at a reduced or zero cost. Not only will employees welcome onsite snack and beverage options, but they will also appreciate the cash left in their pocket.

Don’t forget to offer refreshing beverages along with both healthy and not-so-healthy snacks. It’s important to keep your employees hydrated as well as satiated. To learn more about the many different types of breakroom snack and beverage options in Warren and The Metro Detroit Area, call American Vending at 248.895.2606.

Office coffee service is often considered a separate service when it comes to the office break room, but it doesn’t have to be. For a moment, ponder what it would be like to mesh coffee service with a micro-market. On their own, micro-markets and coffee service offer distinct benefits, but when they are blended together in the Metro and Detroit Area and Warren office break room, they create a unique employee perk. Employees now have a relaxed on-site spot to grab a gourmet coffee beverage and a snack or meal.

This is even more important as recent research has found that the best time to enjoy a cup of coffee is either mid-morning or early afternoon, not first thing after waking. A simplified explanation is that the human body produces more cortisol at waking. Coffee, or caffeine, increases those cortisol levels even more. When the caffeine and cortisol wear off, an intense drop in energy occurs. Consuming coffee when cortisol levels are low, mid-morning or early afternoon, creates a bigger energy boost than when they were high. That sounds like a bonus for both Warren and the Metro Detroit Area employees and employers.

To effectively blend coffee service and micro-markets together, it is important to consider several aspects of coffee service, and how each aspect can help integrate coffee with the micro-market.

Coffee Brewers

• choose brewers that make freshly made gourmet beverages; bean-to-cup or single-cup brewers are the current favorites
• consider brewers with touchscreens that have the ability to create specialty drinks, including espresso
• discover which coffee brewer brands are most sought after in your area—yes, brands matter even with coffee brewers

Coffee Beans

• offer a wide range of coffee beans; consider a selection of local and national brands
• discover which coffee brands are well known and liked by your Warren and the Metro Detroit Area employees
• make sure that the perception of the coffee brands matches the perception of the micro-market—both should be high-end

Other Factors  

• place the coffee service near popular foods and snacks that go well with coffee—whether it is a breakfast item or an afternoon treat, Warren and the Metro Detroit Area employees are more likely to make a spur of the moment purchase if the item is nearby
• include a wide variety of creamer, coffee flavoring, and sweetener choices
• recognize that employees are consumers—brand recognition of coffee brewers and coffee beans/roasters plays a role in purchase decisions

To make the melding process easier, American Vending can guide you through the process of integrating office coffee service into an existing micro-market or adding both employee benefits at the same time. For more information about micro-markets, coffee service, or other vending solutions, contact us at 248.895.2606.

The relationship between the bottled water industry and Warren and The Detroit Metro Area consumers has had its ups and downs. But recent news from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is good news for everyone. A recent study found that bottled water now has the lowest water footprint of all packaged drinks, using a total of 1.32 liters of water, including the 1 liter of consumable water, to produce a 1-liter bottle product.

Environmental Impact

To decrease the amount of water used, the amount of energy spent, and the amount of plastic materials needed for the production of bottled water, the bottled water industry has developed new and innovative ways to decrease the number of resources spent. According to the IBWA, some of the changes include:

• “Auditing total water use at bottled water facilities,
• Reducing groundwater extraction through improved water processing and bottling processes,
• Looking for leaks in all of their piping and tanks,
• Planting drought-resistant vegetation at bottling facilities,
• Reminding employees to be good stewards of the environment and encouraging water conservation,
• Implementing water use restrictions at their facilities,
• Implementing ultra-efficient cleaning methods inside plants to reduce water usage when cleaning reusable 3- and 5-gallon bottles for water coolers used in homes and offices,
• Reducing the use of cleaners when sterilizing water pipes, storage tanks, and finished products,
• Managing water withdrawals in a manner that ensures the long-term viability of the watershed, [and]
• Using hydro-geological evaluations on springs to assess any potential impact on local groundwater levels and stream flows.”

The result is an industry that uses fewer natural resources, creates less waste, and produces one of America’s most purchased packaged drinks. As Jill Culora, IBWA’s vice president of communications, said, “consumers who are drinking bottled water instead of other packaged drinks are making a healthy choice—and also reducing the impact on the environment.”

Health Benefits

Water offers multiple health benefits to those in Warren and the Detroit Metro Area who drink it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, water helps to regulate body temperature, lubricate and cushion joints, and protect the spinal cord. Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, the director of nutrition at WebMD, writes that water keeps our body hydrated which helps all of its systems to function properly, decreases muscle fatigue which can contribute to poor performance, and helps skin to stay hydrated and healthy.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t drink nearly enough water to make up for the water that we lose every day, which can lead to dehydration. Side effects of dehydration include lack of energy and fatigue. To combat dehydration, the Mayo Clinic recommends that men drink about 13 cups or 3 liters of beverages per day, and women drink about 9 cups or 2.2 liters per day. Additionally, researchers at the University of Illinois determined that the more water a person drank, the fewer overall calories that person consumed. For most individuals, a decrease in calories, even by a small amount, can positively impact long-term health.

Do your Warren and The Detroit Metro Area employees or students enjoy water as a pick-me-up during the day? If so, be sure to include bottled water in the office break room or school lunchroom vending machine. For the ultimate employee bonus, consider covering part or all of the cost of healthy vending machine snacks and beverages.

For more information about customizing your current vending machine options, or adding new healthy vending machines to your office break room or school lunchroom, contact American Vending at 248.895.2606.

Did you know that the overall workforce is projected to consist of more than 50 percent of Millennials by 2020? With such a large number of individuals joining the working world, it is important that the vending industry continue to attract new talent especially since the vending industry has recently undergone substantial change. Now is the chance for Warren and the Metro Detroit Area Millennials to change the vending space in their region and positively impact how customers view vending.

While there are many reasons to build a career in the vending industry, the following are three areas where new and innovative change continues to occur, thanks in part to Millennials shifting the overall point-of-view.

Healthy Snack, Beverage, and Food Choices

Whether grabbing a snack at work or picking up a meal at the grocery store, “healthy” is no longer a word reserved for an out-of-the-way store that sells seeds, nuts and strange grains. As Millennials joined the workforce, they sought out healthier options and created positive change for everyone else. They understood that healthy choices improved one’s overall well-being and mental health which led to an increase in morale and productivity in the workplace. And that sounds like a bonus for everyone.

Creating a New Breakroom Space

The bland, gray room with an old refrigerator and a sad-looking table hidden somewhere toward the back of a place of employment, or the breakroom, is a thing of the past. Breakrooms are becoming bright and welcoming spaces where Warren and the Metro Detroit Area employees can grab a bite to eat or a cup of specialty coffee and enjoy a conversation with a colleague. Today’s breakroom includes the ultimate employee perks: the micro-market Free Vend and the gourmet coffeehouse experience.

 Micro-markets include glass-front coolers with racks and shelves holding freshly made, delicious, and nutrient rich foods that have been chosen to meet Warren and the Metro Detroit Area employees’ needs and preferences. Available at any time of the day, micro-markets offer a pleasant shopping experience with self-checkout kiosks. Multiple payment options, and additional technologies that allows kiosks to operate online, and report sales and product status in real time work together to create a seamless process.

Free Vend offers the ultimate employee perk. Employers provide their employees healthy and traditional beverages, snacks, and food throughout the workday at a reduced cost or no cost.

The gourmet coffeehouse experience in an office breakroom creates a space that rivals any corner coffee house with specialty coffees and teas, locally roasted or uniquely sourced beans. With a customized program, employees have a fewer reasons to leave the office to get a snack or caffeine boost.

New and Innovative Vending Machine Technology
As technology has changed in the rest of the world, it has also changed in the vending industry.

The equipment is more environmentally friendly with Energy Star ratings and LED lighting and automatically communicates with vending providers to provide up-to-date sales information, determining an appropriate list of options (inventory control and customization). New technology also detects whether the purchased product has dropped, guaranteeing that customers either receive the product selected, or the vending machine automatically returns the customer’s money.

Whether a future Millennial employee works in marketing, operations, software or hardware development, or food and nutrition services, he or she will be able to offer a unique perspective on vending industry equipment, best practices, and food, snack, and beverage options. For information about upgrading your breakroom experience to reflect new and innovative changes in the vending industry, contact American Vending at (248) 895.2606.