Its Business and Administration Team Leader explained the school’s approach to healthy eating: “We wanted to give our pupils the opportunity to access healthier snack alternatives to crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. Our vending machines have helped us to raise the profile of healthy eating in school and are complementing the message we are promoting through our school meals operation.”

Boston Spa School has never sold the usual vending items in the main school, such as fizzy drinks, crisps and confectionery. When it decided to introduce vending over seven years ago, the focus was on providing children with alternatives to fizzy drinks, so it installed machines selling bottled water instead.

As the demand for vending inevitably grew, Boston Spa worked with its vending operator and a local dietician who set strict nutrient standards for foods and drinks, including levels of fat, sugar and salt, to provide a list of drinks and snacks. All products were initially taste trialed by the student council, which regularly discusses the school’s food and drink provision, and they were said to have loved all of them.

Vending has continued to expand and take up is said to be excellent, with seven bottled water machines, three machines containing snacks and/or drinks, three sandwich machines all accessible throughout the day and a hot drinks machine in the 6th form. The school also has five water fountains. The sandwich machines are said to be very popular and are managed by the caterers. Two separate vending operators who supply machines free on loan, and fill them daily manage the other machines.

Changing the vending machines at Salt Grammar School led to a number of other healthier changes and benefits. Salt Grammar is a Bradford secondary school with approximately 1400 students. Bradford Council’s in-house catering provider, Education Contract Services (ECS) supplies the catering services to the school.

Three years ago ECS revised its menus to meet the 2006 food-based standards.

Currently, an extremely pro-active on-site catering manager liaises with students on all aspects of the catering, attends parents’ events, speaks at year group assemblies and is involved with teaching staff briefings, informing them of changes.

The school has invested in water machines which offer a full healthy range of drinks including juices and smoothies and a range of healthy foods including cheese and crackers, with low fat spreads, fresh fruit, yoghurt, fruit salads, pasta pots and freshly made wraps and sandwiches.

ECS will also be looking into introducing a small range of pre-packed seeds in the near future. As all the school’s products in chilled vending machines are made fresh each day no preservatives are needed or used.

The school also stocks the Taste the World range, an exciting brand identity developed for secondary schools by ECS, including Big Bites, Quick Snacks and Deli Bar. The range reflects the culturally diverse eating options available on the high street.

A healthy reward system is also in place. This initiative was designed by ECS to improve student selection and awareness of healthier food choices. Food and drink items were allocated a points value by the community dietitians with more points for healthier food.

What were the outcomes and benefits?

Although there have been radical changes to the items from the vending machines, this was done in stages and so the drop in income from this service option has been offset by a clear uptake in demand for over the counter items during mid-morning break and the lunchtime period.

In addition, there has also been an increase in the free school meal uptake.

ECS owns and maintains its own ‘Taste the World’ branded carousel chill vending machine, which cost £5,000 to buy. The organisation also has a partner scheme with Nestlé on the other drinks vending machines.

ECS is keen to place vending machines in well-lit areas and create a social area, with tables, chairs and waste bins situated by the machine.

Salt Grammar School has learned the importance of ensuring that students are fully informed of the changes in advance and the rationale for them. Using a whole school approach and presenting the service changes within the context of the school’s desired attainment of the Healthy School status served to reduce a great deal of the resistance to the removal of popular confectionery and drink products.

They also feel that wherever possible, changes should be introduced gradually. Also, the school feels the benefits that are of more immediate concern to a specific age group (body image, fitness for sporting activity and self-esteem) are promoted more heavily than the longer-term health benefits, which young people do not regard as such a pressing concern.

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