Vending machines on the University of Idaho campus will take a healthier turn, as a group of movement science students and the UI campus dietitian team up to make campus a healthier place.
Vending machines on the University of Idaho campus now use green tabs to identify healthy options. According to the IdaVend Guidlines and Campus Dietitian Marissa Rudley; items must meet the criteria of less than 200 calories; 230 mg or less of sodium per package; less than 35 percent fat; less than 10 percent saturated fat and less than 35 percent total weight from sugar in order to be designated as a healthy choice.
“It’s not about taking anything away, it’s about giving the freedom of choice,” said Marissa Rudley, campus dietitian.
As a requirement for their movement science class, Ashley Seaton, Marissa Moreschini, Justin Wilkison and Caleb Struble collaborated with Rudley to implement what they are learning in class, Moreschini said.
Last spring, Rudley analyzed the snacks offered in vending machines. She found that healthy options were limited to 2 percent and from only the beverage vending machines.
Rudley and the student group drew up a proposal asking campus auxiliary services and the vending machine company, IdaVend, to offer 15 to 20 percent of vending machine options to follow the Fit Pick guidelines by May, she said.
Fit Pick is a program that helps buyers identify products that meet nutrition guidelines by placing stickers in front of qualifying products.
The product must meet the criteria of less than 200 calories, 230 mg or less of sodium per package, less than 35 percent fat, less than 10 percent saturated fat and less than 35 percent total weight from sugar, Rudley said. These guidelines also meet the Alliance for Healthier Generation Nutrition Guidelines.
Vending machines now feature green tabs on the snacks and beverages that meet these guidelines, Morschini said. Fit Pick stickers and information will be on every vending machine that is a part of the healthy vending campaign.
Rudley and the student group has also raised awareness for healthier options by offering samples of different drinks and snacks that have the potential to be in vending machines, Rudley said. Students were allowed as many samples as they wanted, as long as they filled out a survey about the products.
IdaVend donated 500 samples of snacks and drinks, she said. The results from the first sampling in February were helpful and showed which healthy products students would most likely buy.
Only 17 percent of students had ever heard of Fit Pick but 83 percent said it would influence what they bought, Rudley said. The most popular snack sampled was the Oats and Honey Nature Valley granola bar with 94 percent of students who enjoyed it and 82 percent saying they would buy the product.
The end goal of the project is to increase sales as a result of consumer awareness and marketing, Rudley said. Other benefits are the improvement of IdaVend and UI’s image of promoting healthier options and targeting first-time vendors.
“We want to reach out to first-time vendors who could be missing out on a market of healthier options,” she said.
Students need to vote with their dollars to show their support in the healthy vending machine campaign, Rudley said.
Emily Aizawa can be reached at [email protected].