Healthy Snacks A New Vending Option

Sodexho USA, a provider of food and facilities management services, now includes healthy snacks and other products in vending machines in healthcare facilities across the United States that also have dietary information in Spanish, according to a report in Health & Medicine Week.

The new initiative, "Wellness & You, On The Go" vending, now offers a variety of healthy snacks, beverages and cold foods that adhere to strict health guidelines based on recommendations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Guide Pyramid and statements from the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and approved by registered dietitians of Sodexho.

To be considered for the healthy vending program, a snack must have 200 or fewer calories per serving, have no more than 35 percent calories from fat, be low in saturated fat, have 0 grams of trans-fat, have no more than 360 milligrams of sodium and have at least 1 gram of dietary fiber. A snack can also be included in the program if it meets at least four of the above standards and has at least 10 percent of the daily value of one or more major nutrients, such as vitamin A, C, or E, iron, calcium, protein or fiber.

Examples of healthy snacks that are part of "Wellness & You, On The Go" include Frito-Lay Baked Lays, Baked Doritos and Rold Gold Pretzels; Nature Valley Granola Bars; Kellogg Nutri-Grain Bars and Special K Bars; Nabisco 100 Calorie Snack Packs; Kars Raisins, Nuts and Trail Mix; Dole Fruit Packs; Welch's Fruit Snacks and fat-free popcorn.

Introduced in conjunction with this year's National Nutrition Month, "Wellness & You, On The Go" has proven results with an increase in vending product sales by 56 percent in some locations.

Sodexho USA is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md.
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