California's Healthy Vending Campaign

FM Staff

A new approach to healthy vending has California based, IHA, a statwide collaborative leadership group of CA healthcare organizations, updating its vended snack options at worksites and healthcare facilities. IHA plans to make at least half the products in their onsite vending machines healthful snacks and beverages.

All of California's major commercial health plans are now supporting the program, in addition to hospitals, health systems, and physician groups throughout the state. 6.5 million Kaiser health plan members will have access to healthy foodand beverage choices in vending machines at 310 California facilities.

The initiatives' goal is to encourage healthy behavior change in small bites. Fruit and water will be available alongside more traditional candy bars and chips with at least half the vending options free of transfats, lower in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.