One On One With: High-tech fridges provide fresh, local fare 24/7 at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) is a sprawling 120-acre complex engaging in collaborative research, clinical care and education activities among member institutions, but like just about every workplace it found that changing work habits combined with the need for fresh, healthier, more appealing options challenged the resources of the onsite dining program, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

Enter high-tech solutions, in this case a series of “smart fridge” units from vendor Byte Technology that can be placed in just about any location where there are sufficient numbers of customers seeking high-quality options conveniently offered round the clock. In addition, the team at BNMC was able to forge relationships with local suppliers and producers so that not only do the onsite customers benefit but so does the local economy. The result is that the staff working at BNMC now have fresh, healthy meal and snack options in easily and conveniently accessible service outlets round the clock.

In this One On One With podcast segment, Elizabeth Machnica, director of community well-being, and Marla Guarino, farm-to-institution program coordinator, talk about why the Byte fridges were deployed, how they are managed, what they stock and what value they bring to both the onsite and offsite communities.