Feeding their addictions
Despite health warnings, many in area still want candy and snacks
Doug LaBudde had good intentions.
But the Lean Gourmet selection in the frozen food vending machine was broken. And it was 3:20 p.m. And he missed lunch. And the row of Doritos in the next machine called out to him. Amid a sea of chips and candy bars arrayed in the bank of eight vending machines, the yogurt, trail mix, granola bars, fruit, and soup just didn't cut it.
"You're catching me on a bad day," LaBudde said sheepishly when asked about his choice. The 48-year-old employee at Christian Book Distributors in Peabody said he has lost 50 pounds since last spring, largely by cutting out junk food.
In America's battle of the bulge, employers are rolling out healthier options in cafeterias, expanding on-site gyms and offering health insurance discounts for exercising.
Just don't mess with their Snickers.
A push in Massachusetts and in legislatures across the country to reduce sugary soft drinks and fat-laden snacks in public school vending machines apparently hasn't inspired legions of followers in corporate America.
"If we tried to pull out the unhealthy stuff, there would be a lot of people pulling their hair out at 3 o'clock," said Ray Hendrickson, president of Christian Book Distributors.
The company, which employs about 450 people, is expanding its gym and has a popular Weight Watchers chapter. A yoga class may be coming soon. Still, there have been no requests from workers -- nor plans by the company -- for a change in the assortment of snacks in the building's vending machines, said Bridget Timmins, who is in charge of purchasing.
"We have our warehouse, call center, and office space, so we have a wide variety of blue-collar and white-collar in this building," she said. "We can mandate what our children eat, but for such a large company as ours, we can't say, 'From now on, we are not going to give you any candy bars.' "
The low-carb craze that swept the country has started to turn some consumers away from snack vending machines, largely because vendors have not had many low-carb options, according to Gloria Cosby, publisher of Automatic Merchandiser, a magazine that has followed the vending industry since 1958.
But while low-carb, low-fat, and high-fiber fads come and go, she said, granola bars, trail mix, and other items perceived as "healthier" choices continue to collect dust in office vending machines.
"People would come to [employers] and would say we want to see healthy things in the machine," she said. "Out of 200 people, it may have been three who actually ate the stuff."
Despite the carb concerns, Snickers, M&M Peanuts, and Doritos Nacho Cheesier are the top three sellers in snack vending machines nationwide, according to Pittsburgh-based Management Science Associates Inc., which tracks sales. Fruit bars, nuts, and trail mix aren't even in the top 10.
North Shore Medical Center, which includes Union Hospital in Lynn and Salem Hospital, is promoting water with prominent displays in cafeterias at both sites, said John Brennan, NSMC's director of support services. The organization also has ramped up cafeteria "heart healthy" specials.
"Obviously, being a medical center, we are concerned about what our staff and visitors are eating and we figure we can set the tone in our community," Brennan said.
When the cafeteria food service closes after 6:30 p.m., there are vending machines with water, fruit, yogurt -- and candy, chips, and soda. There are no plans to change that lineup.
"We try to meet the needs of many people, and unfortunately, not all people eat healthy food," Brennan said.
Corporate leaders say healthy workers lower a company's health insurance costs and boost productivity. However, the consensus seems to be that company cafeterias can lead employees to juice and water options, but can't make them drink. Coke and Pepsi -- regular, not diet -- still rule the top two spots for cold beverage sales in vending machines nationwide, according to Automatic Merchandiser's latest State of the Vending Industry Report. But bottled water options (claiming spots 9 and 13 on the rankings) are rising fast.
"Generally, if you are at a business location, you can get water [from water coolers] for free," Cosby said. "Until they start dispensing
But there are growing signs the 3 p.m. chips-and-soda break may be changing.
Bottled water has eclipsed soda in the past 18 months as the top beverage seller for A.P. Vending & Amusement Co. Inc. in Rowley. The company fills machines for more than 100 clients, including many corporate and manufacturing offices, from southern New Hampshire to Boston.
"Years ago, you wouldn't think about putting in baked Lay's chips with zero trans fats. The first time we tried them, eight or nine years ago, they failed miserably," said A.P. Vending's co-owner, Paul Pechilis. "Now we sell cases and cases of them."
Among Pechilis's clients is ESRI in Danvers, a 35-person regional office of a California-based computer mapping company. ESRI's former snack vendor dumped the company last year because workers just weren't scarfing enough chips and chocolate to make it profitable. Today, ESRI's new snack machine has 20 choices and half of them are products considered healthier choices, such as baked chips, fruit bars, peanuts, and pretzels. But the machine also carries Snickers, M&Ms, and Doritos, and plenty of soda.
"There's one woman here who goes into withdrawal without her Diet Coke," said Carl Nylen, ESRI's regional sales manager. "We have vegans, vegetarians, an interesting mix of people here."
Nylen shuns candy for himself, but he hedges his bets. He makes sure the vending machine has lots of granola-type choices, but he keeps a well-stocked tin of Skittles, (the nation's 10th most popular snack vending item) on his desk for his candy-loving employees.
"I'm a hypocrite," he said, smiling.
"I like to see pretzels, popcorn, granola in the machine," he said. "But I don't know if there's such a thing as a healthy vending machine."
Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com.
