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Vend Marketing Institute, LLC (VMI) has developed a comprehensive nutrition guideline program for vending and is currently implementing the program at vending clients throughout the country. The program, named "The Right Choice…for a Healthier You!" (TM), focuses on nutrition education, promoting an active lifestyle and the availability of nutritious choices when making vending selections.

The nutrition guideline program encompasses beverages, snacks and food products vended at business and industry client locations serviced by VMI member companies. Dietitian Carmen Gorniak, R.D., C.D., developed the comprehensive guidelines based on recommendations, studies and guidelines published by organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration, American Heart Association, Alliance for a Healthier Generation -- Clinton Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences. The guideline program, along with nutrition education, is oriented towards better eating for the prevention of chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

Point of purchase materials focus on the USDA program www.myPyramid.gov, as well as clearly identifying products that meet the established guidelines. The guidelines are displayed at all participating client locations. Initially up to 30 percent of the vended products at client locations will be from the selection of products that meet the guidelines.

VMI conducted a detailed review of nearly 2,000 products commonly available in vending machines and created a directory of products that meet our guidelines. "We continue to work with our manufacturers on offering a larger selection of products that meet these guidelines. As client interest grows, so will the selection and variety of products available," said Gorniak in a prepared statement.

A major challenge is the selection of food and entrée items that achieve the goals of the guidelines. Much of what is available today in the way of "healthier" products was produced to address a specific diet. Typically, these products do not meet all encompassing guidelines. This issue is being addressed by producing food items that meet the guidelines in the companies' own commissaries based on recipes developed by the dietitian.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the vending industry to take a leadership position regarding nutrition," said Chris Stave, executive director of Vend Marketing Institute, in a prepared statement. "Vending has always been about quality, convenience and service and now we can enhance that by actively promoting nutrition education, an active lifestyle and clearly identified nutritious vending selections."