Vending Machines Must Show Calories Now!

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Do the vending machines in your workplace, school, or city have calorie labels posted on food items?

If not, they should, as the law passed by congress in March 2010 has now been in effect for over 5 million vending machines across the nation since December 1, 2016.

Vending machines that are owned or operated by vendors with 20 or more machines should now officially offer consumers information to make the healthier choice the easier choice with calories labeled for each food and beverage item.

A fact sheet on vending labeling developed by The Center for Science in the Public Interest and Voices for Healthy Kids, a joint initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association has detailed information about the requirements of the law.

The fact sheet includes valuable information on how labels should be listed clearly and prominently before the consumer purchases the product, font size, and more.

In a nation where more than half of beverage options in vending machines are soda or other sugary drinks, labeled information about calorie intake is vital in consumers option to make the healthier choice the easier choice.

Consumers are still on average consuming at least one sugary beverage a day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Recent findings also show that the number one purchases by households participating in the Supplemental and Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are sugary beverages, including soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks and sweetened teas, which accounted for almost 10 percent of the dollars they spent on food, reported the New York Times.

Millions of Latinos families are served by SNAP assistance, ensuring healthier options are labeled clearly is important for families to make more informed and healthier decisions. Especially as Latino children, are shown by research, to consume more sugary beverages than their white peers.

“For children, studies have shown that consuming sugary beverages is associated with weight gain, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia [high cholesterol], all of which have serious negative downstream health consequences,” CDC researcher Asher Rosinger told CBS.

However, reports from the vending fact sheet also show that many consumers are looking for healthier options, showing that including healthier vending options and labeled calories can not only help consumers manage their weight but also increase sales for vendors.

To learn more about this law and its benefits for consumers and vendors, click here.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

1

Supermarket

for every Latino neighborhood, compared to 3 for every non-Latino neighborhood

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