Healthier vending

Contents

Introduction 3

Benefitsofhealthiervending 3

Whatishealthiervending? 4

Stepbystepplan 5

Healthiervendingchecklist 12

Integratingwithotherschoolfoodprojects 13

Curriculumlinks 14

Sourcesoffurtherinformation 16

Introduction Benefits of healthier vending

Thishealthiervendingguidanceis

intendedtohelpschoolsestablish

healthierfoodanddrinkvendingas

anattractive,usefulandprofitable

service.Itwillhelpinformschools

andcaterersonthepractical

implicationsofusingvendingin

schools.

FromApril2008,thenutritional

standardsforschoolluncheshave

beenextendedtoincludeallother

foodanddrinksprovidedinschools.

Thiswillcovervendingmachines

andthereforeschoolsandcaterers

needtoensurethatanyfoodordrink

providedmeetsthestandards.For

example,crisps,sweets,chocolate

bars,cerealbarsandfizzyorsugary

drinkscannolongerbeprovided.

Forfurtherinformationpleaserefer

tothenutritionalstandardsfor

otherfoodanddrinksinschools

whichisavailablefromtheschool

mealsectionoftheDepartmentof

Education’swebsiteat

www.deni.gov.uk

Implementingahealthiervendingpolicy:

• canencouragehealthiereatinghabits;

• extendsexistingfoodprovisionthroughout

theschoolday,egbreakfast,breaktime,

lunchandafterschool;

• increasesthevarietyoffoodanddrinks

available;

• offersa‘grabandgo’opportunitytobusy

pupilsandstaff;

• reducesqueuesatpeakperiods,eg

lunch-timeservice;

• helpskeeppupilsonsiteduringtheday;

• maygenerateincomefortheschool.

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What is healthier vending?

Manyschoolshavevendingmachinesandalthoughvendingmay

havebeencriticisedinthepast,thereisnoreasonwhyitcannot

providearangeoffoodanddrinkinlinewithnutritionalstandards

andwhichissupportiveofawholeschoolfoodapproach.

Healthiervendingmayhelpgenerateincomeforyourschool.

Vendingshouldnotbelookedatinisolation,butaspartofthe

planningforthewholeschoolfoodservice.Thevendingservice

shouldreflecttheobjectivesofyourwholeschoolfoodpolicy.

Guidelinesabouttheuseandcontentsofvendingmachines

shouldbediscussedandimplementedinordertomeetwhole

schoolobjectivesandtopromotehealthierchoicesanda

balanceddiet.Thesemayinclude:

• workingwiththecateringservicetoinvestigatetheuseof

chilledvending;

• changingthecasingofthemachinessothatno,orminimal,

advertisingofproductbrandsisdisplayed;

• workingwithsuppliersandvendorstoofferhealthierchoices;

• usingchilledandambientvendingmachinesalongsideeach

otherinordertoofferabroaderrangeofoptions,eg

sandwiches,yogurtsandfreshfruit.

Case study

Althoughthevendingmachineatalargeintegratedschoolmade

alossinitially,itstartedtomakeasmallprofitafterpromotional

activities,andprovedenormouslypopularwithpupils.Thepupils

weresurveyedandreportedakeeninterestinhealthandhealthier

eating.Sandwichesandbaguettesarenowthebestsellers.

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5

Step by step plan

1. Getting started

Nomatterwhattypeofvendingyourschoolisplanningoralreadyprovides,itisimportantthat

itisundertakenaspartofawholeschoolapproachandnotinisolation.Ausefulstartisto

developawholeschoolfoodpolicy,enablingyourschooltowritearationaleforvendinginyour

school(seebooklettwo:Establishing a whole school food policy).Thiswillensurethatthis

particularaspectoffoodserviceprovisioncomplements,ratherthanworksagainst,yourschool

ethosandapproachtohealthiereatinganddrinking.

Commitmentfromtheseniormanagementoftheschoolandthecateringservice(especiallyifit

isinvolvedinvendingprovision)isimportanttothesuccessofhealthiervending.Thisshouldbe

establishedduringthepreliminarydiscussionontherationaleandpurposeoftheservice.Each

partyshouldexaminethepotentialbenefitsavailabletothemandtothosetheyrepresent,and

thensettheseagainsttheresourcesrequired.

Thewholeschoolcommunityshouldbeconsideredwhensettinguphealthiervending.Allwho

haveaccesstotheschoolsitearepotentialcustomers,sotheirneedsareworthconsidering.A

workinggroupshouldbesetupandincluderepresentationfrom:

• pupils • teachingstaff

• schoolmanagement • parentsandgovernors

• cateringstaffandmanagers • localcommunity,eghealthprofessionals.

Theworkinggroupshouldconsiderthefollowingpoints:

• thetypeoffoodanddrinksold; • wherethemachineswillbelocated;

• thetypeofvendingmachinerequired,eg • whowillberesponsibleforthedaytoday

chilledorambient; operation;

• howmanypeoplewillusethemachine • whetherthereareanytrainingneeds,eg

andwhen; foodhygiene;

• pricerange(ofproducts); • howaccessiblethemachinewillbe,eg

• whatwillhappenwhentheschoolisclosed timecontrols;

duringholidaytime; • budgetforthemachine(eitherleasedor

• wherefoodscanbesourced,egschool purchased)andmaintenancecontracts;

catererorvendor; • howitemswillbepaidfor–cash,orcashless.

Step by step plan

2. Deciding what to sell

Healthiervendingshouldreflecthealthiereatingmessagesbyofferingarangeoffoodand

drinks.Allfoodanddrinksprovidedmustmeetthenewnutritionalstandardsforschoollunches

andotherfoodanddrinksinschools.Usetheeatwellplatetohelpyoudecideonabalanceof

foods(youcanfinditatwww.eatwell.gov.ukorseebooklet1:The essential guide).

Whenchoosingproductsforhealthiervending,youshouldselectthosethatarelowerinsalt,

fatandsugar.Asaschoolyouneedtodiscusswhatisbestforyourhealthiervending.Speakto

theschoolcateringserviceandtrytocomplementwhatisforsaleinthediningroom.Findout

whattheschoolcommunitywouldliketoseeavailable.Theproductrangecouldbediscussed

attheschoolcouncilorschoolnutritionactiongroup(SNAG).Itwouldalsobeusefultoinvolve

alocalcommunitydietitianorschoolnurse.

What can healthier vending offer?

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Chilled vending

Thiswilldependonthevendingmachinebutexamplescouldinclude:• Freshfruit,preparedfruitsaladsand driedfruits• Filledrolls,sandwichesandbaguettes• Sconeswithlow-fatspread• Salads• Pastamixes• Lowsugarbreakfastcereals,with semi-skimmedmilk• Yogurts,fromagefrais• Pizzaslices(withthickbasesandless cheese)• Semi-skimmedmilk• Water• Fruitorvegetablejuices

• Yogurtdrinks(<5%addedsugar)

Ambient vending

• Fruit• Unsaltedornon-sugaredpopcorn• Flavouredsemi-skimmedmilk(UHT)* (<5%addedsugar)• Water• Fruitjuice(>50%fruitcontent)*Thesemi-skimmedmilkintheseproductswillbeatroomtemperature.

3. Consider the practical issues

Packaging

Ifyourvendingmachinescontainfoodmadebytheschoolcatereroranoutsideprovider,

youwillneedtoconsiderthetypeofpackagingusedanditslabelling.Forexample,glass

containersarenotappropriateforschooluseforsafetyreasons.Thecaterermayalreadyuse

packagingforsomeitemswhichwouldbeappropriateforchilledvending,egplasticsandwich

containersorplasticsaladbowlswithlids.Otherproductsmaybedisplayedonatray,covered

inplasticwrap,egslicesofquicheorpizza.

Theproductsshouldbeclearlylabelledsothatpupilscan:

• selecttheproducttheywishtoeat:

• readtheingredientlist,egtoavoidingredientsbecauseofallergy,cultural,religiousor

ethicalreasons.

Planogram

Aplanogramisaplanofthelayoutoftheproductsinyourvendingmachine.Thisshouldbe

developedaftertheproductmixhasbeendecidedandwithpupilinvolvement.Productswhich

areateyelevel,oratthelevelofthecoinslot,willsellbetterasthesearethefirstproducts

seenaspupilsdecidewhattopurchase.Trytovarythepositionoffoodproductsinthe

machinetokeeppupils’interestandpromotenewfoods.

Product sourcing

Vendingproductscanmostconvenientlybesourcedbythecateringservice,orthevending

machinevendor.Alternativelytheproductscanbemadeatschool.Dependingonthetypeof

vending,theschoolcaterermaymake,stockandmanagetheproductsforsale,egsandwiches,

baguettesandsalads.

Product waste

Monitoringwastewillensurethattheproductmixcanbereviewed.Itwouldbeusefulto

considertheshelflifeofeachproduct,monitor‘bestbefore’and‘useby’dateseverytime

machinesarefilled.However,thisshouldnotcompromisetheschoolrationaleforproviding

healthieroptions.

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Step by step plan

Food hygiene and safety

Thisisparticularlyimportantforfreshfoodanddrinksthatneedtobetemperaturecontrolled

orchilled.Thepreparation,storageandsitingofallproduceshouldcomplywiththeschool’s

healthandsafetypolicies.Rememberto:

• cleanmachinesregularly;

• ensureallproductsarelabelled,especiallyiftheycontainaparticularfoodallergen;

• check‘bestbefore’and‘useby’dateseverytimemachinesarefilled;

• rotateproductsandplacenewproductsattheback.

Price

Therangeofpricespupilsarepreparedtopayforvendingfoodsreflectstheirageandthe

relativewealthoftheschool’scatchmentarea.Whileitisimportanttoofferawiderangeof

productsatvaryingprices,itisimperativetosuittheproductmixtopupils’pockets.Research

indicatesthatpricinghealthieroptionscompetitivelyisassociatedwithincreasesinthe

purchaseoftheseitems.Inaddition,evenifwaterisprovidedviavending,afreesourceof

watershouldalsobeeasilyaccessibleforallpupilstousethroughouttheschoolday.

Differenttypesofvendingmachineshavedifferentcharacteristicsandarebuiltspecifically

tovendparticularproducts.Ensurethatthereisagoodmatchbetweenthecapability

andcharacteristicsofthemachineandtheproductsyouwishtovend.Beawarethatnew

machinesandproductswillbecomeavailabletomeetnewdemandasindustryrecognisesthe

commercialpotentialandtheneedforhealthieroptions.

Youmayalreadyhavemachinesthatcanberestockedtoensurethatgreaterchoiceismade

availabletopupils.Ifyouwanttosourceavendingmachine,contacttheAutomaticVending

Association(www.ava-vending.co.uk).Theyhaveasectoronvendinginpost-primaryschools.

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4. Deciding on the type of vending

Machine: Ambient Chilled Chilled cans, foods foods cartons, etc

Design Productsmaybeheld Somehaverotating Basicmechanical onasuspendedhook drums.Their gravitysystem. orbyaspiralcoil, abilitytodisplay Thesemachines whichtheusercan productsislimited includecooling seethroughaglass buttheycanhold systemsand front,withthefood differentshapes thereforerequirea itemsfallingintoa andsizesoffoodand powerconnection. fooddispensingarea. drinkproducts. Products • freshfruit • sandwiches,rolls, • water • fruitpots(shelf- baguettes • freshsemi- stable) • pizzaslices skimmedmilk • ricecakes • yogurts • flavouredsemi- • unsaltedornon- • freshfruit skimmedmilk(UHT) sugaredpopcorn • fruitjuices • fruitjuices • freshsemi- skimmedmilk • flavouredsemi- skimmedmilk(UHT) • water

Shelf life Twotothreemonths Threedaystothree Fourdaysto12 dependingon monthsdepending monthsdepending product. onproduct. onproduct.

Vending options

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Themachinesupplierswillusuallyofferspecificservicecontractsformaintenanceand

repairs.Althoughnewmachineswillcomewithaoneyearwarranty,whetherpurchasing

orleasingneworsecond-handmachinesitisvitaltoensureyourserviceagreement

guaranteesaquickresponsetimeandthattherearenohiddenextras.Ifindoubt,check

withtheAutomaticVendingAssociation,whichoffersadviceandinformationonitswebsite

onawiderangeofaffiliatedcompaniesandproducts.

Step by step plan

Anadvantageofvendingisthatfoodand

drinkcanbeaccessedthroughoutthe

schoolday,including:

• whentheusualcateringfacilitiesare

closed;

• whenthereareheavyqueuesatbreak

andlunchtimes;

• whenspeedofserviceandeatingon

thegoareimportanttopupils,egfor

pupilswishingtoattendalunch-time

cluborasportsgame.

Thelocationofyourvendingmachine

isakeyfactor.Ifpossible,itisbestto

placeitneartothecateringareatomake

filling,maintenanceandsupervisionofthemachineaseasyaspossibleandtoensureservice

continuity(especiallyifyourhealthiervendingisrunbytheschoolcaterer).Youwillneedto

checkwiththeboardcateringservicesiftheyprovidetheschoolfood.

Accesstovending,forexamplewhenthecanteenisclosed,isalsoimportantandasourceof

extrarevenueifthereareopportunitiesforpurchasesbeforeandafterschool.Ifthemachineis

situatedinsideadiningroomthatclosesatcertaintimes,theseopportunitiesaremissedand

theserviceisdenied,althoughthemachineisbettersecuredagainstvandalismandabuse.

Litter

• Providelarge,secure,attractivelitterbinsforeachvendingmachine.

• Encourageappropriatepupilbehaviourthroughtheexistingschoolpolicy.

• Discusstheissueoflittermanagementwithinareasofsocialeducationinthecurriculum.

• Recycleorcompostwaste,perhapsforuseinyourschoolgrowingclub.

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5. Where to place the vending machine

Successfulmanagementandadministrationreliesontheinvolvementandcooperationofpupils.

Byseekingtheiradviceandensuringwidespreadunderstandingoftheinitiative,itspurpose

andoperation,youwillminimiseproblemsandmaximiseuse.Forexample,somechilledmachines

enablepupilstoremovefoodfrombehindadoor.Thiscanalsomeanthatotherobjectscan

beplacedinthemachine.However,schoolshavefoundthatthenoveltysoondisappearsand

goodpositioningofthemachinereducesthistypeofbehaviourfromthebeginning.

Forgoodsales,ensurethatpupilscanaccessavarietyoffoodanddrinkthroughouttheday.

Thiscanbeachievedby:

• ensuringthatpopularproductsarereplenishedpromptly;

• monitoringthevendingmachinesregularlytocheckworkingorder;

• helpingpupilsaccessthefoodanddrinktheywant.

Thekeyinfluencesonsales,otherthanagoodproductmix,willbethepupils’perceptionofthe

consistency,reliability,andefficiencyoftheservicethemachineoffers.

Itisworthspendingsometimeraisingawarenessofvendinganditsrationalethroughawide

varietyofmeans,priorto,andafter,launch.Thiscouldinclude:

• announcementsinyearassemblies,withinthecontextofabroadernutritionmessage;

• raisingawarenesswithpupilsthroughdiscussionabouttheschemeanditsrationalewithin

theirtutorgroups;

• pricinghealthieroptionscompetitively;

• establishingthemeorspecialeventdays,offeringdifferentorunusualfoods;

• creatingaposterdisplayforhealthiervending;

• introducingnewproductsroutinelytomaintaininterest;

• writingabouttheschemeintheschoolnewsletter;

• holdingtastersessionsfortheproposedproducts.

6. Managing healthier vending in your school

7. Promoting healthier vending

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Step by step plan

8. Evaluation

Itisimportanttomonitorandevaluateyourhealthiervending.Youcould:

• monitortheuseandcommercialsuccessofthemachine,egproducttype,numberssold

wasted,refills,pupilresponse;

• useaproformatoensurestandardisationandappropriatecollectionofdata;

• identify‘bestsellers’and‘notdoingverywell’products,andanalysetheseresultswithyour

workinggroup,especiallypupils.

Haveyouidentifiedthebenefitsofhealthiervendingforyourschool?

Areyouclearaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve?

HaveyouinvolvedtheschoolcouncilorSNAG?

Haveyoutalkedtotheschoolcateringservice?

Haveyoutalkedtotheseniormanagementteamandgottheirsupport?

Areyourpupilsinvolved?

Haveyoudecidedwhenandwherethevendingmachinewillbeavailableforuse?

Haveyouplannedtheproductmixandpricing?

Doallthefoodsanddrinksmeetthenutritionalstandardsforschoolfood?

Haveyouidentifiedwhowillmanageandadministerthevendingservice?

Aretherearrangementsforcollectinglitter?

Haveyouplannedastrategytopromotehealthiervending?

Haveyouplannedhowyouaregoingtomonitorandevaluatetheimpactofyourhealthier

vendingservice?

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Healthier vending checklist

Therearemanynaturallinkswhichcanbemadetootherschoolfoodprojects,dependingon

yourschool.Linkstohealthiervendingcouldinclude:

• Makingavailablehealthierfoodanddrinkitemsinvendingmachinestoextendthevarietyof

lunch,egfruitskewers,minisandwiches,yogurts.

• Providingchilledwaterintheproductrangeyouoffer,whileensuringthatothersourcesof

waterarefreelyavailable.

• Offeringcomplementaryproductstosupporthealthierbreaks.

• Usingvendingtohelpreducequeuesatbusytimes.

• Reviewingtheuse,positionandstyleofthevendingmachinesinthediningroom.Arethey

wellpresented?Dotheysupporthealthiereatingmessages?

Case study

Alargepost-primaryschoolinaruralsettinginstalledtwochilledvendingmachinesselling

avarietyofproductsmadein-housebytheschoolcaterers.Theseincludedpastadishes,

sandwiches,saladsandfreshsemi-skimmedmilk(whichprovedtobethemostpopularitem).

Bothmachinesmadeaprofitandsignificantlyreducedqueuingproblemsinthediningroom.

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Integrating with other school food projects

Curriculum links

Healthiervendingprovidesacontextforawidevarietyofcurriculumlinks,afewofwhichare

listedbelow.

Post-primary

Mathematics and numeracy

PupilscouldrecordproductsalesandincomegeneratedusingMicrosoftExcelspreadsheets

topredictfuturesalespatterns,supplyrequirementsandreviewplanograms.

Learning for life and work

Home economics – pupilscouldliaisewiththeschoolcaterersandhealthiervendingmachine

stafftoinvestigatearangeoffoodanddrinkswhichsupporthealthiereatinginaconsistent

manner,egislowinsaltandsaturatedfat,whilststillbeingappetisingto11–14yearolds.

The arts

Art and design–pupilscoulddesignandproducecreativeoutcomesforadisplayaroundthe

vendingmachineillustratingtheimportanceofabalanceddiet.

Forfurtheradviceandsuggestions,visit:

www.ccea.org.uk

www.nicurriculum.org.uk

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Sources of further information

Thefollowinglistprovideslinkstofurther

resourcesandinformationthatmaysupport

youindevelopingyourhealthiervending

service.

School Food Trust

www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

TheSchoolFoodTrustprovidesan

informationbookletcalledA fresh look at

vending in schools,whichprovides

detailedinformationonschoolvending

andusefulchecklists.

Automatic Vending Association

www.ava-vending.co.uk

Everythingyoueverwantedtoknow

aboutvending.TheAutomaticVending

Association(AVA)representsallsectors

–machinemanufacturersand

distributors,suppliersofcommodities

andoperators.

Food Standards Agency

www.food.gov.uk

TheVending healthier drinksreportis

availablefromthissite.

Health Education Trust

www.healthedtrust.com

TheHealthEducationTrustisaUK

registeredcharity,formedtopromotethe

developmentofhealtheducationfor

youngpeopleintheUK.Thesite

containsinformationonhealthiervending.

ThisresourcewasoriginallydevelopedandproducedbytheHealthPromotionAgencyforNorthernIrelandaspartoftheSchoolfood:topmarksprogramme.ItwasjointlyfundedbytheDepartmentofEducationandtheDepartmentofHeath,SocialServicesandPublicSafety.