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A healthy snack instead of crisps
From vending machine to chilled fridge

Healthy vending
and what the machine allows

“Healthy vending” is usually sold as a different fill for the same machine: bars instead of crisps, water instead of cola. That helps a little, but lunch is still a problem, and the machine is the reason. A spiral machine is built for dry products that keep for months, so anything that makes up a meal will not fit. Looking to roll out a healthy range as policy across your sites? Read healthy vending policy.

Chilled, so fresh is possible High-protein meal preps Halal, kosher and vegan
Check your site All machine types
The limit

The machine decides
the range

A spiral machine works by pushing a product off a coil and letting it drop. That needs packaging that survives the fall and contents that do not need chilling. What is left is dry and long-life: biscuits, crisps, bars, nuts, cans. Even with the best intentions, you will not get much further than a healthier snack.

With a chilled fridge it is the other way round: the cold chain comes first, and that decides what can go in. Salads, bowls, hot dishes, dairy and high-protein portions then come within reach, precisely the products people otherwise drive off site for.

Cold chain Shelf life Dispensing without a drop
What will not go in a spiral
  • Salads and fresh bowls
  • Freshly filled sandwiches
  • Hot dishes to reheat
  • Dairy: yoghurt, skyr, quark
  • Fresh meals with meat or fish
  • Anything with a short use-by date
Three types side by side

What “healthy” means
for each machine

Type Healthy range possible Replaces a meal Watch out for
Spiral machine Limited: bars, nuts, dried fruit No No chilling, the product drops
Chilled vending machine Yes, with packaged chilled products Partly You only see the label after buying
Smart fridge (chilled cabinet) Yes, fresh dishes included Yes Needs enough footfall for rotation

Torn between a chilled spiral and a chilled locker-style machine? That comparison is separate. Starting from an existing machine? Read snack vending for businesses or drinks vending for businesses. All types side by side, from spiral to combi machine, are in vending machines for businesses.

Stocked shelves of a smart fridge
From decision to fridge

How the switch
works in practice

01

Count the footfall

How many people come past each day and at what hours. Fresh food lives on rotation.

02

Spot and power

A place on the walking route with a socket. The old machine can stay or go.

03

Opening range

A ratio of fresh, high-protein, classic and drinks, with halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan included.

04

Fine-tune

Products that sell stay; what sits is replaced, based on sales per product. After a few weeks the fridge suits your site.

How to set it up
01
Buy
The unit is yours, with a range you decide.
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02
Rent or lease
No purchase price up front, with a fee or instalments.
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03
Organise restocking
Your own team, your caterer or a local supplier, guided by sales per product.
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What a chilled fridge does differently from a spiral machine is covered above; what happens to your current machine and contract, separately. What it costs is in what a smart fridge costs.

A traditional vending machine next to a smart fridge
Read on
01
Office smart fridge
Where the spiral machine leaves lunchtime uncovered: lunch on the office floor.
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02
Gym and sports club
Where a chilled fridge makes the vending machine redundant fastest.
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03
Student housing
Late hours, small budgets and a mixed crowd in one fridge.
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What goes inside
Healthy food at work High-protein meals Fresh meals Hot meals Salads and bowls Vegetarian meals Healthy snacks Healthy drinks Halal vending Ramadan at work Smart fridge for your business
Approach, delivery and safety
Meal prep for businesses Meal delivery at work Healthy vending policy Allergens Food safety Food waste
By machine type
Vending machine for businesses Snack vending machine Drinks vending machine Automated retail for businesses Snack machine in the office Drinks machine in the office Combi vending machine Refrigerated vending machine Hot food vending machine Sandwich vending machine Cashless vending Micro market
Buy, place or switch
Buying a vending machine Free vending machine Vending operator Replacing your vending machine Smart fridge for your business
Frequently asked questions

About healthy
vending

Can you fill an existing snack machine with healthy products?

Partly. You can put bars, nuts, dried fruit and water in the spirals, and that is already an improvement on crisps and chocolate. What will not fit is exactly what makes a meal: salads, fresh dishes, dairy, hot food. They need chilling and dispensing that does not drop the product. Filling a classic machine with healthy products gives you a healthier snack, but changes little about lunch.

What is the difference between a chilled vending machine and a smart fridge?

A chilled vending machine keeps products cold but otherwise works like a vending machine: you pick a slot number and the product comes out. A smart fridge is a chilled cabinet you open; you take the product in your hand, read the label and payment happens automatically. The difference matters most with fresh food, where people want to see what they are taking and read the date.

Is nothing classic left in the range, then?

There is, and that is deliberate. If only healthy products are left, people buy the rest off site and you no longer see what is being eaten. Give fresh and high-protein options a good share of the fridge, with the usual snacks and drinks alongside.

What happens to fresh products that do not sell?

Anything close to its date comes out at the next restock. Whoever buys the stock carries that risk; ordering to sales per product keeps waste low.

From how many people is healthy vending feasible?

Fresh food needs rotation, so it comes down to how many people pass each day and at what hours. From around fifty people it gets interesting, and from a hundred it is usually clear. Below that, a well-kept supply cupboard or a classic machine is often still the better choice, and we will tell you so straight away.

What could stand in your corridor?

Eight short questions about your site: how many people, which hours and what machine is there now. We will call you back with a proposal, or with the advice to keep your current machine if that is the better choice for you.

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