Committee works to improve vending machine options
Students who long for more nutritious options in on-campus vending machines have reason to be hopeful as a campus advisory committee has focused their aim on improving student snacking options at CU.
“Nutrition has a huge impact on people’s ability to have sustained energy and concentration, not struggle with eating issues and live a healthy life,” said Anne Schuster, a member of the Healthy Community Initiative, a group dedicated to advising the student affairs division on health issues that impact CU students.
Previously, the group has focused on alcohol prevention and education and student retention. This year, one of the their major goals is to tackle vending machines on campus, which includes looking at the nutritional value of foods currently available, assessing the student demand for healthy snack foods and considering the possibility of providing more wholesome foods in vending machines, Schuster said.
So far, she said, the group has had preliminary discussions about their plan of action but has also realized that several obstacles still stand in the way of the their progress, including the high cost of healthy snacks and the limitations surrounding CU’s contracts with food and beverage vendors Canteen and Pepsi.
In both cases, it comes down to profit.
“Canteen chooses the types of products that we offer, and right now they need to put things in vending machines that are going to sell,” said Lori Jackson, the vending liaison for CU. “There is a need to find a healthy medium between what people ask for and what they really purchase.”
In order to gauge what kind of foods students would want to see available in vending machines as well as how much deeper they would dig in their pockets for those options, the Healthy Communities Initiative is planning to conduct a campus survey, chair Robin Kolble said.
Schuster emphasized the benefits of a survey.
“I have a feeling that there is a group of people who would want healthier options,” she said. “We just have to find out how much more people are willing to pay and what kind of choices they want.”
She said she would like to see options such as Lara Bars, whole grain crackers, nut mixes and dark chocolate in vending machines.
In general, Kolble said, she would like to see students presented with food options that are as close to nature as possible with little processing and additives.
Jackson said that after she receives the survey results, she will present a list of snack suggestions to Canteen from which the company can choose.
“If it’s really worth their while to stock a product, they will do it,” Jackson said.
For many students, healthier vending machine options would be a plus during their busy days.
“Usually I’ll go to the vending machines when I’m running late and I’ve missed a meal,” said Zach Brill, a junior MCD biology major. “It would be nice if there was a little more substance, calories or nutrients in the foods in vending machines.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Emery Cowan at emery.cowan@thecampuspress.com.
