Abstract:
Vending machines represent the number one form of food service in the United States today (Grossman & Magnus, 1988), with annual sales exceeding $25 billion (Iknoian, 1991). Vending services are especially popular on college campuses due to convenience and affordability.Providing a wellness environment for the faculty, staff and students on the Ball State University campus is a chief concern among the administrators of the University. While strategies are being developed to improve the nutritional quality of meals served in the dining halls, little research has been done on the selection of foods and beverages offered in the campus vending machines.In this study, alternative healthy food choices (low in fat, salt and sugar) were placed into several campus vending machines along with the traditional vending foods. While a growing number of reports find consumers changing their eating habits in response to health and nutrition concerns (Blaine, 1990), Mueller (1989) suggests that Americans say one thing but do another. This study attempts to compare the sale of healthy foods to the traditional vending foods in selected vending machines at Ball State University.