Poll: Should candy be banned from office vending machines?
When I’m having a particularly bad day at work, I often find myself studying the vending machine offerings. Since I can’t drink wine at the office, which would really improve my mood, it often comes down to a choice between Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Doritos. Apparently, I’ve got lots of company out there. A new study suggests that unhealthy snacks available at the office are too tempting to resist.
The study investigating workplace eating habits sponsored by Peapod Business Delivery, showed that approximately two out of three employees find it a challenge to eat healthy in the workplace and almost half of respondents blame unhealthy snack options as the number one culprit. Skokie, Illinois-based Peapod, an online grocery delivery service, is a subsidiary of Royal Ahold in The Netherlands,
Cathy Leman, a Chicago-area registered dietitian and certified personal trainer who provides worksite nutrition services to local corporations and businesses, suggests employers stock break rooms with healthy choices like fresh and dried fruit, yogurt, whole grain crackers, nuts, raw veggies with lowfat dip, hummus and baked pita chips, and oatmeal raisin cookies.
Survey findings show that there are major disparities in the workplace between what people want and what they are getting. The top food employees want in the workplace is fresh produce; however only 36 percent of companies that provide food for employees regularly purchase fruits and vegetables, according to the study. The least desired food item that employees want in the workplace is candy. However one out of three businesses make it available on a regular basis, the survey said.
While an apple would be healthier, I have to admit it won’t do as much for my mood as a piece of chocolate. I don’t think I’d be too happy if that wasn’t an option. How about you?
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Gail writes about business, health and wine for the Post-Dispatch. She joined the P-D in 2005 after moving from NYC where she covered federal courts and wrote about food and wine. In her free time, Gail lifts weights, and of course, wine glasses. 
I am not here to bash the blogger because you are entitled to yor opinion as well as those that were participants in the study. I have to say, though, that the study mentioned and the results shown in the article just shows how bad society has gotten about blaming others for your problems or short comings. If a person cannot bring their own healthy snacks from home or have enough will power to stay away from the junk in the machine DON”T blame the company or the vending machine. Have some self respect and take resposibility for you own actions Also, by all means stop trying to take away others freedom of choice just because you don’t know how to own up to and deal with your own promblems. It is no one elses responsibilty to make sure you eat healthy.
My company has a cafeteria and snack machines. The cafeteria offers a ton of healthy choices. The vending machines offer few, but I don’t get lunch from a vending machine.
On those days when I want chocolate, I want it. I don’t want someone else to have decided I don’t need it. (I don’t need it. I want it. I understand the difference.) If I didn’t have the machines available in the basement I’d keep it at my desk and eat a lot more of it than I do now.
RussM-Couldn’t have said it better myself!
I’ve got a caffeine addiction that I’m trying to break; I guess they should ban coffee and soda in the office too.
Companies should also have vending machines for cigarettes too. Not offering cigarettes and/or candy is taking away our freedom of choice that our forefathers fought so hard for.
Well , I have to disagree with this writer. I suppose we ought to tell reporters what we want to read in the newspaper, all good news, now that will sell papers wont it ? Of course not, and healty choices while they are finally tasting like something other than cardboard are slowly beginning to sell. But as any smart business person, you offer what sells the most so that you can make a profit right ? Again of course, every vending operator would be out of business if all they offered were healty choices.(Unless your in Seatle) The people asking for the healty choices first comment is , WOW its so expensive, yep , healty is expensive, I’d bet a quarter that these folks are the ones that drive around the parking lot twice to find a spot close to the door because their to lazy to walk another 30 seconds to the door. Again the writer says a survey shows people want Fresh Fruit in the workplace, I would rather pick my own fruit thank you, just wait for the fruit flys to start up because all those health nuts will throw their fruit ends in the trash and over the weekend the fruit flys will be having a party. The answer which has been written and talked about for some time is that we all vote with our dollars, if we dont by it it gets voted out, if it sells it will be in that candy machine right next to the Snickers, m&m Peanuts and Twix.
Well owning a Vending Business. I see it that we are here to offer a Variety to the Customer. We offer both Healthy Choices and Un Healthy Choices in our Snack Machines. It is not our decision what the customer buys but to have a Good Selection for the Customer. We all know that if you want Chocolate you want CHOCOLATE! So wouldn’t be Healthier to by a Vending Bag size instead of the Big Bag & Eat the whole Big Bag?
I’m in the vending business. As such, I have had various people throughout the years ask me to put healthy options in the vending machines. They have always assured me that they and their friends want these healthy choices and that they will buy them. I go on to ask them what kind of items and what name brands they would like to see me offer in my machines. I have then gone out and purchased these items for their enjoyment. Well, they must have only wanted two or three of these wonderful items. And their friends must have changed their minds and decided to stick with chocolate. I say this because there have been very few cases of healthy items that have sold out before they met their expiration dates. And then I am the one who gets to eat those items or, at least, the loss.
I am of the opinion that Healthy Choice Vending Machine Item is an oxymoron. All vending machines should be banned in the workplace (and ESPECIALLY schools).
I say yes just because it is such a money drain. I guess I could buy it at the grocery and stash it in my desk. That would be cheaper in the long run.