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The healthy eating revolution that has taken the nation by storm in the last decade has left no stone unturned, no food or beverage company escaping the changing tide in consumer demand. Vending manufacturers and the schools that house them have been quick to turn these changes into a profitable advantage.
Schools are essentially businesses governed by strict budgets and keeping costs to a minimum is vital. Vending machines are not only a source of revenue, but represent an alternative to costly staff-run canteens. Traditionally offering an array of sugary and processed goods including carbonated drinks, crisps and chocolate, the vending industry has decided to cash in on the health trend.
Rising levels of obesity led the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to put forward proposals aimed at reducing salt, sugar and fat in school foods, and in particular vending. The Health Education Trust (HET) note that vending can account for an annual turnover of £10-15,000 for schools, and schools and manufacturers have therefore been keen to keep this valuable commodity.
Healthy eating in schools, or the lack of it, was thrust into the limelight by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. After his high profile TV programme ‘Jamie’s School Dinners’, a 300,000 strong petition and the ensuing media frenzy, the government set a budget of £280million aimed at improving the nutritional value of food and drink provision in schools. Compulsory changes were implemented in 2007 stating that food in schools other than lunches must also contribute to a child’s nutrition.
Adapting to new rules has seen the introduction of new products such as flavoured water and combination drinks, which can contain just 50% fruit juice, so long as there is no added sugar. Naturally sugary snacks such as California raisins now offer children a more complex alternative to chocolate. Product manufacturer Weetabix has launched a series of healthier snacks, including fibre-rich Weetabix Oaty Bars, which contain just 85 calories.
The HET found by running pilots in a number of schools, that if the results were projected across England and Wales, then an additional 14 million healthy drinks would be sold in schools a year.
Rather than becoming a casualty of changing trends, vending machine, product manufacturers and schools themselves have embraced healthy eating, developing new products aimed at the modern consumer.
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