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Route drivers are the direct contact between the consumers and the vending products they sell; here is some basic nutritional information to help field concerns.
Should you as a route driver be concerned about obesity and nutrition? Aside from your interest in your own personal health, does the current public debate affect your job performance in any way? You bet it does.
This issue’s impact on our industry affects everyone in the industry, including you. As a route driver, you are on the front lines of this debate. Consumers who are reading and hearing about obesity and nutrition naturally will look to you for answers. After all, from within our industry, who do they come into contact with most frequently?
You have likely heard the false accusations that the vending industry is basically responsible for school children being obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 16.5 percent of children age 6 to 19 are overweight, almost double the rate of two decades ago. One of the reasons for this concern about obesity in children is the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes which can lead to major health problems in later years of life. In addition, about two out of three adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese.
Since you have direct customer contact, nutrition questions are likely to come your way. This article provides basic information on nutrition, what the industry is doing regarding these attacks and how to answer some of your customers’ questions about the products in vending machines.
Obesity is a complex problem with no easy solutions. It is not caused by any single factor or food that may have been purchased from vending machines or elsewhere. Consuming more calories from any food source than is expended through physical activity is the scientific equation that results in weight gain. Changing the outcome requires a slight reduction in food intake while increasing “burned” calories through physical activity. It sounds simple, yet it is difficult for people to put into action.
Dieting pitfalls
Diet is on everyone’s mind, from the office worker who spends hours of inactivity per day to the manufacturing employee who may move more, but still battles the bulge. Everyone’s looking for a quick fix to the problem.