The Effects Of Vending Machines

We’ve all experienced a moment like this. It’s the middle of the afternoon, your stomach has been making gurgling noises that wouldn’t sound out of place in a science-fiction movie, and you’ve only got time for a quick snack. With heavy feet and an empty stomach, you trudge your way to the vending machine, a dimly lit box with a few offerings, none of which really look appealing. The fact is, vending machines might be convenient, but they’re not offering you the healthy snacks that you should be eating and that your employees deserve. But what effect does this have on your office?

A History Of Un-Healthy Options

Vending machines have never been a bastion of healthy eating. The very first vending machine made in the United States distributed sugary gum. For many decades, the busiest vending machines actually sold you cigarettes until they were banned. Today, vending machines are stocked full of snacks and drinks high in salts, sugars, fats, and preservatives. It’s hard to get away from these machines and their unhealthy offerings. There are nearly five million vending machines in the United States, with more than 50 percent of them located in office buildings.

Studying Vending Machines

In the last few years, there have been a variety of studies performed in schools that utilize vending machines, and the impact they have on the student population. Generally speaking, all of the studies found that whatever was available in the vending machines were consumed by children. So if the school offered healthy options, the students would eat those. Conversely, if they offered students sugary options, they ate those. This makes sense, but when you consider that more than 80 percent of the schools surveyed only offered junk food in their vending machines, you can see how this quickly became a problem.

Vending machines can directly influence your diet. While these studies were conducted in schools and with children, the results and the data can likely be applied to an office setting too. When offices offer their employees junk food options in their vending machines, they are negatively impacting the overall health of their employees. Sugar-laden treats and drinks can impact oral health. Snacks rich in fats and preservatives can lead to weight gain, and later, heart problems.

Why Does This Matter?

The health of your employees is directly tied to the health of your business. Workers with poor diets are likely to have poor overall health, and that can lead to increased use of sick days. Office workers miss an average of nine work days a year due to illness. This translated to more than $4.1 billion lost. Suddenly, those $1 bags of salty chips look like they cost a lot more than you initially thought. Keeping your employees healthy is hugely important for the long-term success of your business.

How You Can Avoid Relying On Vending Machines

In a previous blog on improving the workplace with snacks, we discussed the importance of offering your employees snack options to improve their overall morale, so you can’t simply do away with your snacks, but you don’t have to rely on a vending machine to do so. Instead of having a large, ever-malfunctioning box stuffed into a dingy corner of your office, sign up for the healthy snack subscription services of Simpalo Snacks instead!

Our Variety Snack Boxes are a real hit with offices and businesses of all sizes. Every healthy snack delivery box is packed full of treats that are tasty, without relying on high amounts of sugar, salt, or fats. The result is a collection of snacks that taste good and are good for you. Have a box delivered as frequently as you like, and there’s no need for a contract. Start offering your employees healthy snack options today, and sign up for your Variety Snack Box subscription now!