Category: Office Break Room Snacks

A chocolate bar is a great snack to include in your Jacksonville break room vending machine. Seriously. Traditional snacks and better-for-you snacks do not have to fall into two different categories, especially when chocolate is involved.

Chocolate can be both. This is especially good since most consumers believe chocolate can be part of a happy, balanced lifestyle.

When someone says chocolate, most people think of milk chocolate, but dark chocolate is a great choice too. The higher amounts of cocoa in dark chocolate offer more health benefits. (But all chocolate is excellent!)

Here are 4 benefits.

The Snack Stress Reducer

It’s an understatement to say that everyone is under stress right now. It’s also known that too much stress is bad for one’s health. Chocolate can help with that.

Eating all types of chocolate boosts endorphins, which results in happier people and a decrease in stress. It’s easier to focus and work when one isn’t stressed. Chocolate also contains caffeine, a favorite afternoon energy boost.

Offering various chocolate bars in the snack vending machine makes it easy to find something when you need it.

Heart Health

Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium and copper, two minerals that help regulate blood pressure. Regularly eating small amounts of dark chocolate also provides the body with essential antioxidants. The antioxidants have many jobs. They help protect the heart, control insulin sensitivity, and improve blood flow.

Eating heart healthy foods also supports the body’s other systems. A healthy heart can help your employees’ immune system fight colds and other easily spreadable illnesses.

Fewer Sick Workers

Dark chocolate helps even more here too. The high levels of Catechins in dark chocolate give the immune system an extra boost. A stronger immune system means fewer colds. Fewer sick employees mean fewer disruptions and decreases in workplace productivity.

Better Morale with a Chocolate Snack

Yes, chocolate can improve morale. Benefits like trendy snacks and beverages in the break room vending machine really do have an impact. It might seem small to you, but it means a lot to your Jacksonville employees. Your employees will know that you see them and that their happiness matters to you.

Who would have thought that a chocolate bar could do all of this?

The Vending Station would like to help you customize your break room. Choose from a selection of delicious snacks, beverages, and fresh food to create the perfect menu. For more information about all our refreshment services, including micro-markets, vending machines, and office coffee service, please call us at (407) 891.7632.

How does snacking fit into your day? Do snacks replace a meal or help you survive until your next one? Or, maybe they’re an energy boost? What about a reward or something to satisfy a craving? You aren’t alone if your snacks function as just one of those, or if they are all three at the same time. The way consumers plan, choose, and eat food has changed.

To help Jacksonville employees learn about their new vending options and see the value, let’s take a look at the three primary snack needs.

Nutritious Options

• helps to meet daily caloric needs and to stay hydrated
• keeps energy levels stable and up
• helps to manage health and diet
• stops hunger between meals
• examples: yogurt, granola bars, whole fruits and vegetables, water, and smoothies

Snacking for Optimization

• helps to meet mental and physical performance goals
• offers an energy boost
• helps with recovery after exertion or a loss of nutrients, fluids, and energy
• increases mental focus
• examples: coffee, whole fruits, popcorn, nuts, protein bars, and smoothies

Snacks and Pleasure

• offers comfort and stops cravings, at least in the short term
• can be either an indulgence or a reward
• creates a time to eat different flavors and textures
• is an opportunity to try new foods
• examples: cookies, candy, chips, nuts, and flavored milks

Each of these snack needs can function independently or in combination with each other. In most situations, Jacksonville employees don’t realize that they require the snack to be fun even if their goal is nutritional. One way to meet those increasing needs and have a positive impact on your employees is to reconsider the types of snacks and beverages offered in your break room vending machine or micro-market.

The Vending Station can help update your break room layout and customize your refreshment menu to inspire snacking occasions and meet your employees’ needs. Not only is it good for your Jacksonville employees’ health and well-being, but it’s also good for company morale and productivity.

To learn more about the wide variety of fresh food, snacks, and beverages we offer and our vending, micro-market, and coffee services, please contact us at (407) 891.7632.

What is a piece of gum? It can’t be eaten like traditional snacks or candy, even though it’s definitely edible. It can be chewed at any time of the day, but there are many places where it isn’t allowed. One thing is true: it’s been around for a really long time. In fact, humans have been chewing it in one form or another for over 10,000 years. 

The oldest known sample—a 5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum made from bark tar that had tooth imprints in it—was found in Kierikki, Finland by a British archaeology student in 2007. Bark tar from the birch tree was used as an antiseptic and chewed to treat oral gum infections by the Neolithic people located in present day Scandinavia.

It’s also been found in other cultures around the world. Here are a few interesting facts about the history of chewing gum:

• Mastiche, chewed by the Greeks, is the sap from the mastiche tree.
• Tsiclte, chewed by the ancient Mayans, is the sap from the sapodilla tree.
• Spruce sap was chewed by Native Americans from New England.
• “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum”, the first commercially produced gum, was sold by John B. Curtis, an American businessman, in 1848. 
• Around 1850, gum made from paraffin wax surpassed spruce gum in popularity.
• The first chewing gum patent was filed on December 28, 1869 by William Semple. 

Today, chewing gum come in many shapes and flavors with over 45 brands, and even more flavors, of gum available in the U.S. According to a survey done by the National Consumer Survey (NCS) in 2018, about 175 million people in the U.S. used chewing gum. in 2020, the U.S. gum market is projected to account for over 27 percent of the global chewing gum market.

There are two primary types of chewing gum: functional chewing gum (gum with a purpose) and bubble gum (the gum Jacksonville residents chew for fun). Bubble gum is designed to inflate or create bubbles whereas functional chewing gum has a specific purpose such as oral health and weight management (curb cravings and improve digestion). Studies also show chewing gum also helps improve memory, reduce stress, and increase alertness.

Whether Jacksonville employees chew gum for enjoyment, to freshen their breath, or for a memory boost, access to gum is important for many individuals especially throughout their workday. Employers can make it easier to purchase gum and encourage employees to stay on-site during the workday by including gum with the snacks and candy in the break room vending machines or micro-market.

Employees who go off-site for snacks, fresh food, and coffee tend to take longer breaks. Not only does individual output go down, but overall productivity also decreases. Designing a break room menu that includes a mix of traditional and healthy snacks, fresh food, and all types of beverages is a benefit that often has a higher value to employees than its actual cost to the employer.

The Vending Station can help your Jacksonville business create a customized menu that is appealing to everyone. For more information about our micro-market, vending, and office coffee services, please contact us at (407) 891.7632.

Sweet treats such as candy and chocolate can deliver more than a sugary boost for Orlando employees. They can also play an important role in an individual’s well-being according to “Sweet Insights: State of Treating 2020,” a recent National Confectioners Association (NCA) study, and John Downs, NCA president and CEO. 

A key takeaway from the study, which surveyed more than 1, 500 adults about the products they buy and why, is the understanding that participants firmly believe that “chocolate, candy, gum and mints are an essential part of their lives and emotional well-being” and “that good emotional well-being leads to better physical well-being leading to a happy life.”

As with the snack and beverage industries, the confection or candy industry is also concerned about meeting consumers’ changing expectations. The industry understands that there are many different types of consumers and to be successful in the long run, they need to consider the demands of the less traditional candy consumer. 

Manufacturer transparency is a key factor for this segment of consumer. They want to know where ingredients are sourced from, how those ingredients are produced, and if that process is environmentally sustainable. Alternative ingredient options including vegan, plant-based, and organic ingredients as well as a company’s approach to social responsibility also play a role in many consumers’ decision-making process.

Since National Candy Month occurs during the month of June, it’s a great time to add a bit more fun and sweetness to the start of summer. This year many Orlando employees are craving an ‘emotional well-being’ boost after dealing with the COVID-related challenges of the past several months. 

To meet Millennial and Gen Z employees’ desire to make choices based on personal preferences and beliefs, Orlando employers should first inquire about the products their employees want and then offer a variety of traditional and alternative candy, chocolate, gum, and other sweet treats in the break room. There is plenty of space in vending machines and micro-markets to customize a refreshment menu that includes both. 

Vending machines and micro-markets also support personal safety and hygiene policies as they offer products that are individually sealed and use 1-touch or contactless payment systems. Offering in-demand fresh food, snacks and cold beverages rounds out any refreshment menu and provides a safe way for employees to purchase items while staying safely on-site. 

For more information about customizing your current break room menu or creating an entirely new break room experience, please contact The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to hearing from you.

Did you know that there are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on snack, beverage and food labels? No? The following list includes just a few of the various names: high-fructose corn syrup, dehydrated cane juice, cane sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrates, invert sugar, malt sugar, molasses and sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose).

With so many different names to keep track of, it’s no wonder that the average American consumes 17 teaspoons every day. For Orlando and Central Florida men that’s 8 teaspoons more, and 11 teaspoons more for women, than the American Heart Association recommends.

Before looking at where to find information about how much sugar is in a favorite snack or beverage, let’s consider the differences between two different categories of sugar: added sugar vs naturally occurring sugar. Naturally occurring sugar is found in milk (lactose), fruit (fructose) and some vegetables. Added sugar is any sugar or sweetener that is added during the preparation or processing stages. Some foods like yogurt contain both naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. 

The challenge for Orlando and Central Florida employees is understanding how much overall sugar is in a snack or beverage and whether any of that sugar occurs naturally. Added sugar is absorbed quickly into the body while natural sugar, usually accompanied by fiber, is absorbed more slowly. When reading nutrition labels, the following terms may be helpful:

• Total Sugar per Serving: the amount of added sugar plus naturally occurring sugar in a serving
• Sugar-Free: less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving
• Reduced Sugar or Less Sugar: at least 25 percent less sugars per serving compared to a standard serving size of the traditional variety
• No Added Sugars or Without Added Sugars: no sugars or sugar-containing ingredient such as juice or dry fruit is added during processing
• Low Sugar: this term is not allowed as a claim on food labels

Unfortunately, it is still difficult to know the exact amount of natural sugar is in a snack if that snack contains both added and natural sugars. But that will soon change as food manufacturers are required to list amounts for both by mid-2021. Researchers hope that this change will prevent nearly one million cases of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes over the next 20 years.

Orlando and Central Florida employers have an opportunity to positively impact their employees’ health by offering snacks, beverages and fresh food that contain lower amounts of added sugar in the break room. Healthier employees miss fewer workdays, have more energy and are more productive – an important benefit for employers.

We are here to help Orlando and Central Florida employers and employees enjoy the benefits of healthy options available in micro-markets, pantry service and office coffee service. For more information, please call The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632.

Snacks. They’re everywhere. In fact, in 2018 Americans enjoyed almost 386 billion ready-to-eat snacks. Whether they are eaten on their own, as part of a meal, or as a meal replacement, snacks need to continue to evolve so they can meet the needs of future Orlando and Central Florida consumers. David Portalatin, NPD Group’s food industry advisor, explained it best when he said, “snack food rolls [are] is changing in different ways in reaction to Americans’ desire for balance, portable snack foods, and holistic wellness.”

Orlando and Central Florida employees are no different. They are also looking for snacks that offer balance, portability and wellness. But what do those three things mean?

Balance

The concepts of healthy and great tasting no longer exist on opposite sides of the aisle. Today’s snacks and beverages meet in the middle. It’s all about balancing enjoyable flavors, textures, and healthy ingredients with a reasonable amount of something sweet over the course of a day or week to help create a balanced diet. Manufacturers are working to meet consumers in the middle by offering thinner versions of their most popular cookies. 

Wellness

For a snack or beverage to fall into the wellness category, it must offer more than just healthy ingredients. It needs to have a purpose or be considered functional. Snack or beverage choices that are high in protein, offer weight management benefits, or include immune-boosting or pro-digestive health ingredients all fall into the functional category. Ingredients such as fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, and alternative protein sources all help a snack or beverage to perform a specific purpose.

Portable

Single-serve, on-the-go, and functional are three attributes that Orlando and Central Florida employees look for when choosing portable snacks. With 86 percent of Americans eating a snack instead of a meal and 20 percent of Millennials eating snacks while running errands, there are a lot of people eating on-the-go. Successful snack manufacturers take that into account and create options that can be enjoyed anywhere.

Do your Orlando and Central Florida employees have access in their breakroom vending machine or micro-market to snacks that are balanced, wellness-focused, and portable? The Vending Station can make sure that those who don’t eat a traditional lunch also have a variety of choices to help meet their dietary needs. For more information or to schedule a product sampling, please call The Vending Station at (407) 891.7632.