Healthy Vending Starts Making the Rounds

Following the LA Unified School District’s ban of sodas sales in school vending machines in 2002 and their junk food ban in 2003, hundreds, if not thousands of schools nationwide have followed suit. Seen as a way to help curb that rapid expansion of youngsters’ waistlines, parents, school boards, and teachers alike have taken their soda-free agenda as far as state supreme courts.  Now, other institutions are following suit.

Hospitals have recently joined the crusade against sugar and fat laden vended items.  Due to hospitals’ particular responsibility to promote the general health and well being of the public, and the prevalence of diet-related health problems in America, it is fitting that they would take steps to remove foods of low nutritional value from their facilities. The San Francisco Business Times recently reported that all of California's major health plans have signed on to a voluntary campaign to fight obesity by agreeing to make at least half of the contents of their onsite vending machines healthy choices such as fruit and water. 

These hospitals should be applauded for their efforts to offer healthy snack options, and encouraged to not end their efforts with vending machines.  There is still much room for improvement in hospital food services as well.  Hospital cafeterias, patient foods, and catering services are still just as likely to serve up hamburgers and French fries as offer a salad bar or healthy menu items. As we have learned in schools, banning soda and junk foods is one great step in the struggle to reclaim the nation’s health, but vending machines alone will not solve the problem.  Hospitals should take advantage of their staff of nurses, physicians, nutritionists, and health educators and do outreach about nutrition and health living. They should use their campuses to host farmers’ markets and community gardens.  They should make connections to local farmers who can provide their meal services with the tastiest and freshest produce available.  Vending machines are a step in the right direction, and there is still much to be done.