Vending machines shouldn’t be limited to healthy food options because the rate of people using the vending machines will decrease rapidly and create a loss of revenue for the campus.
Why? Well, of course the average college student isn’t going to be too concerned with what they’re consuming, but rather with the best-tasting and cheapest option.
University of Washington did a study and compared the prices of 370 foods sold in Seattle supermarkets. They found that calorie for calorie, junk foods don’t just cost less than fruits and vegetables, but the prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation.
Healthy snacks will definitely cost more because it is harder to keep up with demand, in contrast to all the big-name companies that mass produce these cornmeal-based products. College students are often adhering to a strict budget, and don’t have means to buy a more expensive snack.
Heavier foods also tend to feel more filling, so a cheap snack could hold a person over longer. “If you have $3 to feed yourself, your choices gravitate toward foods which give you the most calories per dollar,’’ said Dr. Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington.
Naturally, we lean toward the foods that are heavy in calories, even if we aren’t doing it intentionally.
Also, most of the healthy foods students would want to see in the vending machines wouldn’t withstand vending machine conditions and would rot quickly.
This means that only healthy foods that do not spoil quickly will be put into the machines, and most of the foods that do not spoil quickly aren’t the best tasting. Students will definitely lean toward tastier foods rather than healthy foods.
Another reason vending machines shouldn’t be limited to healthy foods is because students should be able to make decisions about what they put into their body.
Most Pierce students are adults, and as such, they would not want limits put on what they are allowed to consume on campus. Students would probably be upset and cause a racket and complain to administration.
Overall, it just seems that it wouldn’t be the smartest move to maintain a positive environment for the community. It would cause more problems than it would solve.
